Kiss the Rain
by ilovenaley
Summary: Singer and 'pop princess' Haley James meets Nathan Scott, NBA superstar and serial womanizer at a charity gala. Will she fall for his charms? Naley - AU.
1. Chapter 1

**AN – Hello! Thank you for checking out my story! I hope you guys like it, let me know what you think but dropping me a review! x**

**Kiss the Rain**

**Chapter One**

Haley James walked the red carpet with her manager and best friend Peyton Sawyer, being greeted by the blinding flashes of cameras and cries of "Haley, Haley, over here Haley!" which were shouted at her over and over. It never ceased to amaze her how much commotion there was surrounding events like this, and more to the point, how much furore she created just by taking a few steps towards a building. However, tonight was all in aid of charity, in fact it was her favourite charity in the whole world and as much as she hated posing for photos, any publicity or photo opportunity the press wanted relating to this event was worth it for her, if it meant the charity was getting the recognition it deserved.

She posed and smiled when requested as she slowly made her way ever closer to the sanctity of the hotel the event was being held at, Peyton making sure she was doing her job of keeping Haley moving but also allowing her adequate press time.

She finally made it into the building and headed into the elevator which would take them down to the hall where the dinner dance was being held. "Oh my gosh the room looks beautiful this year!" She cried as she entered the room which was decorated in pink and white to represent the colour of the charity. "It's so much better than the black and gold disaster last year!"

"It sure does Haley." Peyton said as she took in the grandeur of the room.

"I wonder where we're sitting this year." Haley pondered as she made her way into the thick of the crowd, smiling politely at a few people who recognised her.

"I don't know but I sure as hell hope we are as far away as possible from the creeps we were sat next to last year, or the year before that for that matter!" Peyton said quietly in her ear.

Haley could only giggle and also agree wholeheartedly with that. It seemed that no matter how much these kind of events were enjoyed by the both of them, the worst part was definitely the dinner part, where you were inevitably seated next to some weirdo and had to endure an hour and a half of their incessant leering or talking, or in the worst case scenario, both at the same time. She was sure this wasn't exactly how the evening was supposed to play out, but nonetheless, it always seemed to happen that way for her and Peyton. And for that reason, it was most definitely the dance part of the event that she looked forward to the most, for you could run away from people you didn't want to talk to during the dance part, at dinner, you were stuck.

She made her way quickly over to the seating plan and scanned for her and Peyton's names, finding their table number and then motioning for Peyton to follow her as they both made their way over to the table just as the bell rang signalling the start of the dinner. Their table was towards the front of the hall and as they walked closer, they saw that just like last year, they were surrounded by what looked like middle aged, pompous business men who thought the sun shone out of their ass.

"Fabulous." Peyton said sarcastically as she took in the sight before the both of them.

"Oh shush Peyton, they might be nice, you haven't even said a word to them yet!" Haley admonished as she rolled her eyes. However, even she had to admit, it wasn't looking good and she was now slightly regretting wearing the low cut dress which showed ample cleavage for the men to leer at.

"And I just saw a pig fly out of the window!" Peyton deadpanned.

"Come on, it's only for an hour and a half tops, then the party will start and we can run away and hide from them like we do every year, it's practically tradition!"

They were now at the table, they said their hello's to the gentlemen already seated, giving the expected two air kisses, at least that's what Haley and Peyton were doing, the men however, seemed to have different ideas and proceeded to plant wet, sloppy kisses on each of their cheeks.

As the dinner progressed, things weren't getting any better. Peyton glanced quickly over to Haley, seeing that she was growing increasingly frustrated with the man she was talking to who seemed more interested in her boobs than what was coming out of her mouth. Peyton could only laugh at her. She had told Haley to go with the more conservative black dress, but she had insisted that the pink dress was the one she wanted to wear, even if it did show a hell of a lot of cleavage. _Bet she's regretting that one! _Peyton thought to herself.

Nathan Scott sighed deeply to himself. He loathed events like this; especially the events just like this one, where they made you sit in pre-arranged seats for dinner and then listen some old twit jabbering on for what felt like an eternity, going into excruciating detail, practically on a day by day basis about what the charity had been up to over the past year. And of course it was just his luck that he always had to be seated on a table with what felt like all the old ladies that existed on the planet, or at least all the old ladies who were invited to the event, who droned on and on about the same stories ten times throughout the meal. Sometimes he hated being himself. Old ladies seemed to love him for some absurd reason. Actually, it wasn't that absurd, they were ladies after all, and ladies threw themselves at him all the time, he just wished there would be an age limit to it! Being who he was though, he had to be polite, smile and nod at the correct times to the old ladies who were engaging him in conversation and clap and cheer at the appropriate times throughout the speech made by the old man, for he was Nathan Scott, NBA Superstar and heaven forbid, with all the photographers and journalists that attended these events, that a picture or article of him fighting off the old ladies or walking up to the old man making the speech and telling him to get a move on so the party could get started would appear in tomorrow's newspapers and magazines. Now that really would be career suicide, what with all the endorsements he had going on, his manager reminded him more than enough times. _You need to clean up your image Nathan! _He could hear his manger's voice in his head mocking him. As far as Nathan was concerned, his image was perfect, he just needed to calm his temper a little to appease his manager, for he sure as hell wasn't going to calm down on the women.

That was partly the reason he attended these events, to keep his manager happy. The other reason he attended these events was obvious to him, the women. Women loved the fact that he attended these charity galas, and of course, he was sure that if one caught his eye, which was more often than not, he would make a big show of giving a rather large sum of money to the charity in question. That way, he and his manager were happy. Nathan Scott ends up in the newspapers for the right reasons therefore appeasing his manager, and he has what he hopes will be a night of hot sex with the woman he had his eye on, keeping himself satisfied, and of course, no one turns down a night with Nathan Scott.

Nathan kept a look out throughout the whole dinner for potential targets, but so far, he had been there and done that with everyone that interested him so far, and Nathan Scott was not a two night kind of guy. Once a night was spent with the great Nathan Scott, then as far as he was concerned, you were worthless to him. He knew he was good in bed, so if you were lucky enough to spend the night with him, then you got a pretty good deal. There would be no exchanging of numbers and most of the time you weren't going to sleep next to him either, once he was done with you, you were out on your ear. If his mother really knew how he treated women, she would probably have a fit but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her and he'd had no complaints from the girls so far so he figured what was the point in changing something that worked so well?

It was no secret that he was what the press call a womanizer but Nathan was proud of it. In his line of work, being on the road half the time, girlfriends weren't worth the trouble, not that he had ever tried though, but one look at his teammates who were foolish enough to have a girlfriend and Nathan knew exactly why he didn't bother. The moaning and whinging he had to deal with from his teammates were enough for Nathan to know that he did not want something like that waiting for him when he returned home each night.

He zoned back in on what the old man was saying, the speech surely coming to and end now, he'd been going on for an age. Everyone suddenly stood up and started clapping as he finally finished so Nathan quickly jumped up out of his seat and joined in with everybody. _Bout time! _He thought to himself. He was more than ready to walk around and scope the room out a little more; especially given the only candidates for a night with himself that he had seen so far were people who had already been so lucky!

Haley jumped out of her seat and clapped and cheered the speech, she loved that part of the evening, where she got to hear all about what had been going on in the charity's world for the past twelve months. She turned to eye Peyton, who was also on her feet clapping and cheering. When she caught Peyton's eye, she moved her head as if to say let's get out of here and Peyton seemed to get the hint when she started moving away from the table.

"Now where is a beautiful lady like you running off to?" Mark, one of the business geeks she had been sitting next to all evening and had had the pleasure of watching him leer all over herself, much like he was doing now, said as he grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving any further.

"I'm not running off anywhere, just going to the bar." Haley said back nervously as she looked down to the hand he currently had on her arm, willing for it to be removed.

"You sure you're not running away from me?" He teased as he leaned in to jokingly nudge her with his shoulder.

"Of course not!" Haley said as jovially as she could, which required all of her non-existent acting skills, given that she just wanted to run away from this creep.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

Haley gave him a quick smile before turning and searching out Peyton, who was standing over on the other side of the room rolling her eyes at Haley. Haley hastily made her way over to Peyton.

"I told you to wear the black." Peyton said knowingly as she laughed at Haley.

"Shut it!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry Haley, but didn't I tell you that this would happen!"

"Yes oh wise one you did." It was Haley's turn to roll her eyes at Peyton.

"Come on, let's get a drink." Peyton said as she led Haley and herself over to the bar which was getting ridiculously busy.

"I think I need one!" Haley said flatly, glancing back at her table and seeing Mark waving at her.

Peyton pushed her way to the front of the queue and got their order in while Haley stood back at a table saving it for herself and Peyton. Five minutes later, Peyton returned with their drinks, which Haley grabbed out of her hands and took a large gulp, drinking about half of her cocktail.

"Jeez Haley, calm down! The press are here you know." Peyton warned.

Haley raised an eyebrow at Peyton. "So what."

"Haley you know you have an image to maintain so don't get completely wasted tonight please."

"Fine." Haley said as she placed her drink down on the table. "That better."

"Much."

"You know what Peyton; maybe I'm sick of being the good girl all the time. I need to let my hair down every once in a while, you know."

"I know Haley, and you can do that at a private party, but not a public party which is covered with press. You chose this life; you have to live with the consequences."

Haley sighed. She had everything she ever wanted, a successful music career, countless endorsements and amazing fans but being the good girl was tiresome, it was hard to keep a pristine act up all the time. And at events like this, when she had been working so hard, all she wanted to do was relax and enjoy herself, but she constantly had to have her guard up to protect herself against any unwanted press which frustrated her no end.

"I need to go to the loo, you gonna be alright for a few minutes?" Peyton asked.

"Course, I'll be fine."

Haley watched as Peyton walked away towards the toilets and she couldn't help but feel empty, which was ridiculous given how happy she was with most things in her life. All she wanted to do tonight was enjoy herself without the intense glare of every gossip magazine on her, was that so much to ask?

Nathan walked around the party, scoping the room for someone who would catch his eye. He was beginning to give up on this event, when he spied her standing alone at a table. She was wearing an extremely tight fitting pink dress which showed off her curves and cleavage fabulously. He was instantly hooked on her; wondering what the hell she was doing standing alone, not that he was complaining as it made it easier for him to make his move, but nonetheless, someone as stunning as she was surely had someone with her. He recognised her immediately; she was one of the hottest music stars of the moment and would surely be a good lay. He walked over to her, glancing from left to right quickly trying to establish if she did have a date with her, but when he saw no one, he shrugged to himself, getting ready to work the Nathan Scott magic, feeling incredibly pleased with himself that he had found such a hottie.

Haley could feel him before he even walked up to her; she could sense the confidence beaming off him. She turned around before he had the chance to walk even closer to her and was greeted by the most piercing set of blue eyes she had ever seen. She gasped at the sight of him, he was definitely gorgeous, that much she couldn't deny. She eyed him up and down taking in his tight fitting tux and broad shoulders, before allowing her eyes to rest on his again.

"Well if it isn't Haley James." Nathan greeted her, "I must say you look stunning tonight, and that dress fits you perfectly." His eyes roamed up and down her as he licked his lips in appreciation.

Haley couldn't help but feel slightly exposed. She knew who he was, he was Nathan Scott, womanizer extraordinaire and usually she wouldn't give someone like him the time of day, she was more than ready to give him the put down he deserved from her, opening her mouth to start speaking but as she watched him lick his lips, the way his tongue crept out of his mouth, the way his eyes were literally devouring her, she felt her resolve weaken and she started to feel herself fall under his intoxicating spell. She closed her mouth, not trusting herself to speak, afraid of what sounds would come out of her mouth, instead choosing to stare into those beautiful eyes.

"So are you having a good time tonight?" He asked as he leant on the table opposite her.

Haley watched as his mouth moved but her brain wasn't registering what he was saying to her, for she was in a daze, blinded by his good looks. She soon snapped out of her daydream and realised that he had asked her a question. "I'm sorry what did you say?" She said as she flicked her hair.

Nathan smiled at her, she was stunningly beautiful up close, she had the biggest brown eyes and her full red lips were itching for him to kiss them. "I asked if you were having fun."

"I am having fun." Haley smiled as she picked up the rest of her drink and took a sip, eyeing him over her glass. "Are you?" She asked as she placed her drink back down on the table.

Nathan leaned into her, still staring intently into her eyes, "I am now." He said in such a low husky voice that was practically dripping with sex.

Haley couldn't help but blush at his words. She caught a whiff of his aftershave as he lent into her and she felt herself turn on immediately. There was something about the smell of a man that did it for her, and my word did he smell good! Her mind was spinning, here was one of the most eligible, good looking bachelor men and he was blatantly flirting with her, here. She was definitely interested in him, she lazily let her gaze wonder to his arms as he took a swig of his beer, noticing how tight his tux fit around what looked like some pretty impressive muscles.

"So you come to this thing every year?" He asked her.

"Yep sure do, this is actually one of my favourite charities."

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed such a beautiful looking girl the last couple of years." Nathan returns, giving her his all famous Scott smirk for good measure.

Haley can't help but laugh at him, wondering how someone so good looking needs to use such cheesy lines like that?!

Nathan glances up at her and sees that she is laughing, "What's so funny?" He asks.

Haley tries to stop laughing but now she has started she finds it hard to stop, which must be the alcohol taking its effect, drinking usually turned Haley into a bit of a hyena. "Nothing!" She says, trying desperately to breathe and calm down.

"Must be something if it has got you laughing that hard!" Nathan returns, laughing himself just for the fact that she is laughing. He keeps an eye on her though, noticing the way she covers her mouth with her tiny hands, presumably to try and stop some of the sound seeping through, not that it was doing any good mind, he thinks it's sweet though, usually girls don't laugh at him, they are usually too busy trying to be sexy or whatever around him, he likes the change of pace.

Haley eventually regains her composure, "I'm sorry about that, must be the alcohol or something." She excuses herself.

"No problem, can't say I've ever had anyone laugh that hard at me without me saying a joke or something before!"

Haley can only smile. She mentally kicks herself, sure that he has to think she is some kind of freak or something that can only smile or laugh herself stupid. She looks into those blue eyes of his again, which she instantly regrets doing, feeling herself getting lost in them. She doesn't think she has ever seen such a beautiful colour in her life.

Nathan watches her watching him. "Would you like another drink?" He asks as he places a hand over hers which is still clutching her glass, noting how soft her skin feels. His gaze wonders from her hand that he is now holding, up her body, to those fantastic breasts which are rising and falling with each breath she takes. He feels hypnotised by them, but knows he needs to move his gaze further up her body; he doesn't want her to think he is a perv or something.

Haley is jolted out of her daydream by the feel of a shoot of electricity running through her entire body. She looks down to her hand, which she thinks was the cause of the bolt and sees his hand is placed over hers. With her other free hand, she nervously plays with a strand of her hair which has escaped from her clip. "N, No, I, I'm fine thanks, still got plenty left in that glass." Haley grimaces over the words, or lack of coherent words, in fact letters that just escaped out of her mouth, God he must think I am a total bimbo or something!

He nods his head at her but doesn't let go of her hand. "So you in town long?"

Haley looks down at his large hand which is still clasped firmly around hers. "Erm, I fly out to LA I think in a week's time, how about you?"

"Yeah we have a game in two days; you should come if you're free." Nathan found himself saying before he even thought about it. What the hell was that?! He thought to himself. He wondered what the hell was going on with him, here he was happily flirting with a girl who from what he could see was falling for his charms, and then he had to go and ask her to his stupid game. That was not the way Nathan Scott operated by any means.

"Erm, well I'll need to check what's going on." Haley replies shyly. Truth be told, she hates basketball. She really does not understand what the big fascination is about a sport where you throw a ball through a hoop. Okay, so it probably required a lot more skill than that but still, the aim of the game was to put a ball through a hoop. What was so interesting about that?

"Okay sure." Nathan responds, sending a smile her way.

"So who are you playing?"

"The Celtics. Of course we are going to beat the crap out of them this year." He replies cockily.

Haley giggles at his sudden outburst. "I have no doubt about that."

He looks at her again, loving the sound of her giggle; it's so… girly and cute. And what the hell is he thinking again? Nathan Scott does not think girls are cute. Sexy, yes, hot, yes, fuckable, yes, but never cute. He finds himself drawn to this girl for some reason, "seriously, we are gonna kick ass so you should come if you can, I promise you it will be a good game, I can get you some tickets." That is the second time in about a minute that he has asked her, _God desperate much_, he thinks to himself, feeling like he should knock himself on the head, maybe that way he can stop being such a crushed out loser.

"Okay, I'd like that." Haley doesn't want tonight to be the last time she sees Nathan, he looks genuinely interested in her and she needs to have some fun for a change, she was so tired of her routine at the moment, it would do her good to mix it up a bit, and if going to the game meant she got to stare at him for a hour or so, well then what could be so bad about that.

Peyton returned from the ridiculous queue which she had waited in for the past half an hour. That was what pissed her off about these events; she hated all the queuing you had to do. Queue for the bar, queue for the toilet, queue to get your coat when you wanted to leave the place, it was ludicrous. She walked back to where she had left Haley, hoping that she hadn't moved from where she had last seen her. Sure enough, she was still there, but she wasn't alone. _Oh fuck. _Peyton thought to herself as she saw who she was talking, _yeah right, more like flirting, _with.

She marched up to the table, grabbing Haley's hand, well the one that wasn't wrapped up in his, and pulled her away from the table, fake smiling at Nathan, "If you don't mind, I need a word with Haley, in private."

"No problem." Nathan fake smiled her back. He knew instantaneously that the curly blonde girl had to be Haley's manager, and to say she didn't look pleased was probably the understatement of the century.

"I'll be right back." Haley says as she is pulled away by Peyton.

Peyton smiled back again before dragging Haley to the lobby outside the hall and placing her on one of the chairs, as she paced back and forth with one hand on her hip, the other over her mouth, as she mutters incoherently to herself.

"You're gonna have to speak up Peyton cos I can't hear a word you're saying." Haley said as she folds her arms and crosses her legs, waiting for Peyton to speak.

Peyton stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Haley, pointing a finger at her. "Do you know who he is?"

"Of course I know who he is, what do you think I've had my head under a duvet or something the past couple of years?"

"So you know what he's about then?"

"He plays basketball?" Haley returned, not really knowing why his profession was reason for Peyton to drag her out of the hall like some five year old caught with her hand in the cookie jar or something.

Peyton sighs. "Haley, he is Nathan Scott, only the biggest womanizer on the face of the Earth, so what the hell were you doing in there flirting like nobody's business with him?" She shouts the last part.

"He's cute!" Haley shrugs.

"Haley James please do not make my job, my life any harder than it already is."

"What does that mean?"

"Haley, if you get involved with that man, it will last all of five minutes, he'll sleep with you then forget about you, it will be all over the press cos he does that to women, and then you will join the "I've slept with Nathan Scott" fan club and be another loser who fell for his charms. Not to mention the damage this would do to your career, the endorsements, you're supposed to be the good girl Haley, the one who falls in love and lives happily ever after, and not some slut who jumps into bed with some guy just cos you think he's cute!"

"I am not a slut!" Haley says as she jumps up from her chair, glaring at Peyton. "And have you ever stopped to consider that maybe I just want a night of fun? Huh? Well, did you? Cos I do Peyton, I'm tired of being the damn princess living the fairy tell, cos you know what, they are a fantasy, they don't come true."

"Haley, you are supposed to give all the little girls out there hope you know?"

"Hope for what? Life is crap, Peyton; sooner or later they are going to know that. Sooner or later they are going to learn that for themselves, they don't need me pretending that the world is amazing to everybody all the time, cos it doesn't work that way."

Peyton sighed to herself. "I know it's not, believe me, but you have an image to uphold Haley, a career that you wanted so badly and now you have it, so I'm not going to sit here and watch as you make mistakes Haley. It's my job as your manager to stop you from making them. Okay?"

Haley just continues to glare at her. All the pressure that is put on her all the time is sometimes too much for her to handle.

"Haley I'm sorry to be a bitch in all this but I promise you it's for your own good."

It was Haley's turn to sigh. "I know Peyton; it just gets to me sometimes."

"And I would expect it too." Peyton says relieved that Haley has decided to let this go as she pulls Haley into a hug. "Let's get out of here huh? I'd say between the leering men at dinner, the ridiculous queues and the flirting, we've had enough of the tradition this year."

"Yeah okay, let me just go and say goodbye to Nathan, I said I'd be back once you were done talking to me."

"Haley no, come on, just leave him."

"But I was only going to say goodbye."

"No Haley, come on." Peyton grabbed her arm and marched her over to the elevator, pressing the button for it to arrive, keeping a firm grasp on Haley.

"Peyton!" Haley raises her voice as she tries but fails to get her arm free.

"Come on Haley, the elevator is here now, you don't need to say goodbye to him okay. Enough." She shouts as Haley tries to get her arm free. She pushes her into the elevator and only once the doors have closed does she relinquish her grip.

"You're a right bitch sometimes you know that?" Haley snaps.

"Oh I know." Peyton says as she smiles over at Haley. She was going to have to keep a close eye on this. She knew Nathan Scott's type, he wouldn't stop harassing Haley until he had got what he wanted from her and she made a bet with herself that first thing in the morning, she would get a call from his manager asking for Haley. _To hell with that!_ She thought to herself. There was no way Nathan Scott was getting anywhere near Haley James.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN – Aw, thank you so much for the reviews, they really inspired me to update as soon as I could, hence the update right now. Jessica (tutorgrrl102), don't fear, I fully intend for this to be a hot fic! ;o) I love how you all don't like Peyton standing in the way of Nathan and Haley, but how much longer will she be able to protect Haley from him?! You'll have to read on to find out…! Let me know what you think about this chapter by dropping me a review, they really do make me smile! x**

**Chapter 2 **

Haley awoke the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing shrilly on her night stand. She groaned as she rolled over to the other side of her bed, reaching out to pick up the phone, trying to make the ridiculous noise stop, it wasn't doing anything for her headache right now.

She looked at the caller ID before picking up, "Peyton what the hell are you doing calling this early?"

"Nice way to greet me Haley, no hello, no how are you?"

"Sorry Peyton, if you allowed me to get some sleep then maybe I would be chirpier."

Peyton chuckled to herself. "So rise and shine Haley, I need you in my office in half an hour."

"What!" Haley shouts back, "Why?"

"Cos we have some things we need to discuss."

"Can't we discuss them now; I really need to get some more sleep."

"Nope, this requires a face to face meeting, so get your lazy ass up out of bed, into the shower and then drag yourself over here, okay? I'll see you in half an hour."

"Bitch."

"Bye Haley!" Peyton sung down the phone before she hung up.

Haley groaned as she threw her phone on the mattress and rolled over, getting snug with the covers, not ready to wake up fully yet. She still felt incredibly guilty for leaving Nathan hanging last night. That wasn't the sort of person she was and all she had wanted was to say goodbye to him but stupid Peyton had dragged her ass out of there so quickly she hadn't had the chance. She was going to have to send an apology to him or something, just to make herself feel better, she told herself, not because she wanted to see or speak to him again of course.

~*~

Peyton hung up her mobile from her phone conversation with Haley and sat down at her desk, sighing at the nine messages she already had on her work phone. _Another stress free day! _She thought to herself.

She turned on her PC and started listening to the messages, half heartedly making notes of people she needed to call back and deleting the ones that didn't matter, not really paying attention as she loaded up her computer. She flicked the button to the phone for the next message, when she was greeted by a rather smooth talking man asking directly for Haley. She heard something about a charity gala and studied the phone carefully, flicking the back button on the machine so she could concentrate on the message.

'Hi this is Jake Jagielski, I'm calling on behalf of Nathan Scott for Haley James, he met her at the charity gala last night, could you please give me a shout back on…'

Peyton scoffed before hitting the delete button, there was no way she was going to need that number, not by any stretch of the imagination. She knew he would be calling first thing in the morning. She knew how people like him operated, only wanting to get in Haley's pants. '_Give me a shout back,_' she mimicked, _who the hell talked like that?! __Pompous basketball pricks, that's who! _She shook her head forgetting about the message as she started her working day, waiting for Haley to come in for the meeting she had arranged with her.

~*~

Haley walked up to the building which housed Peyton's office, still a little put out that Peyton had called her so early to come in for a meeting, nothing could be that urgent surely! She walked into the reception area, greeting the receptionist before heading up the elevator to the fourth floor. She stopped on the third floor, allowing the post man to come in the elevator with her.

"Haley!" He greeted her as he entered the elevator.

"Hi John, how are you?"

"Fine, good, and yourself?"

"Not too happy about being here so early!" Haley laughed. "Peyton woke me up half an hour ago, basically telling me to get my ass here pronto!"

"Ah well, it must be important then!"

"Better be!" She responded as the lift stopped on the fourth floor. "Have you got anything for Peyton, cos I'd be more than happy to take it for you, I'm headed that way anyway."

"Thanks Haley, there are a couple of things here." He said as he shuffled through the letters he held in his hands. "Here you go!" He said as he handed her five or so envelopes.

"No problem John, see you soon!" Haley got out of the elevator and nosily flicked through the envelopes while walking towards Peyton's office, mentally preparing herself for whatever she needed to 'discuss face to face' with her. Face to face meant that she had done something wrong, meant that Peyton was going to shout at her, and Haley was really not in the mood for that this morning.

She flicked to the last envelope, seeing it was actually addressed to her personally at this address. _That's strange?! _She thought to herself. Usually mail for her that was sent to this address was sent via Peyton but this one had her name written in a scrawl along the centre of the envelope. She stopped walking, halting just around the corner to Peyton's office and opened the envelope, wondering what the hell it could be. She pulled out the contents, eyeing them suspiciously, seeing a piece of paper folded with a ticket sticking out of it. She unfolded the paper while seeing she had a ticket to a basketball game in the other hand. She read the note that was written in a very manly scribble, which said, 'I'll look out for you in the stands.' She laughed to herself at his confidence that she would be there as she looked over her ticket which was for the game he was playing tomorrow night against the Celtics.

She found a rubbish bin and dropped the envelope in it, before folding the paper in half and sticking it along with the ticket in her bag. He seemed nice enough, inviting her to one of his games just like he had said he would, instead of forgetting about her when she didn't return to him after Peyton took her home. While she was there, if she got the chance to speak to him, she could apologise about the gala. She thought back to last night, thinking about those blue eyes again, sighing to herself at how they had wondered all over her body, at how they looked when she starred deep into them, honestly believing that they were the most beautiful eyes she had seen. She smiled began walking towards Peyton's office, pulling out the piece of paper one last time, rereading the scrawny handwriting before hastily putting it back out of sight and doing a little jump of joy with a silent squeal that he had remembered her before she entered Peyton's office.

Peyton watched as Haley sat down in a chair in front of her desk, dropping the mail in front of her, with a very happy face on her. "Someone's changed their mood I see." Peyton said with a raised eyebrow, wondering what had got Haley so happy after her bitching this morning.

Haley was still in a bit of a daydream when she plonked herself in the chair, doing or saying nothing, only staring at the wall on the right hand side of Peyton's office.

Peyton followed her gaze, seeing that she was indeed looking at absolutely nothing and shook her head. "Earth to Haley James." She said as she waved her hand in front of Haley's face.

Haley was still lost in her daydream, thinking about those eyes, that smirk that played over his face, she closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose, she could still smell him, so manly and sexy and they way he had talked to her, so confident and husky, and then there was that jolt of electricity that had run through her entire body when his hand had touched hers. She shuddered as she tried to recreate that feeling again, smirking to herself, realising how pathetic and crushed out she was being. But that didn't really matter when you were crushing out on such a perfectly sculpted man; it was to be expected, right?!

"Unbelievable!" Peyton muttered to herself when her hand waving didn't get Haley's attention. She had that schoolgirl look on her, like she was lusting over something, Peyton raised her eyebrow, knowing exactly what, or rather who, Haley was thinking about. "Haley!" She shouted extra loudly.

Haley jumped as Peyton shouted her name; she glared at her, "What!" She shouted back.

Peyton eyed her suspiciously. "What were you zoning out about, huh?"

"Nothing!" Haley said coyly, raising her shoulders to her head as she fiddled with her hands that lay in her lap, avoiding all eye contact with Peyton.

Peyton raised her eyebrows again, "Or should I say who are you zoning out on?"

Haley opened her mouth in shock, shock that she was so easy to read, praying that Peyton wasn't psychic; she would go mad if she knew exactly what was running through her mind right now, not that she was going to give Peyton the satisfaction of knowing she was right about who she had been thinking about anyway. "I was not zoning out on anybody, thank you very much." Haley could feel her cheeks changing to a bright crimson. _Damn it!_

Peyton laughed out loud at Haley's dishonesty, thinking it was highly amusing. "Yeah right, Haley and I am the Pope in disguise."

"Shut up." Haley snapped as she sunk in her chair and played with her hands.

~*~

Nathan marched into Jake's office, seeing he was on the phone and dumped himself on a chair, tapping his fingers on the arms of the leather chair waiting impatiently for Jake to finish his phone call.

Jake looked up as soon as he heard Nathan walking in. He watched in dismay at how impatient he was, the finger tapping was driving him insane! He caught Nathan's gaze, and he proceeded to faff around with his arms, trying to get Jake to hang up. Jake rolled his eyes, swatting him away with his own hand.

"Okay, well thank you for calling and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Okay, Bye!" Jake hung up the phone and rested his gaze on Nathan.

"Finally!" Nathan mumbled.

Jake put on the best smile he could, knowing exactly why Nathan was there so early in the morning. Jake glanced quickly at the clock on the left, seeing it was 9.05am, and scoffed to himself, he was usually only lucky enough to get Nathan out of bed before lunchtime, unless there was what Nathan saw as being a 'good reason' for him to wake so early. That 'good reason' was only reserved for women that he wanted to screw and 'needed' to find out where to go that night to find them. "Bit early for you, isn't it?" Jake said with a straight face, trying desperately not to laugh out loud. "So come on, tell me her name."

Nathan glared at his mocking but in all honesty, he was used to it. "You know her name, I told you to send that ticket to her last night. You did send that ticket didn't you?!" Nathan shouted the last part.

Jake rubbed his ear from the shouting. "Of course I sent the ticket."

"Did you call her manager; find out if she got it?" Nathan asked in a not so polite tone, more of a 'you'd better had otherwise I'm gonna kick your ass' tone.

"Yes I called, got no answer so I left a message."

"How long ago?"

"About half an hour ago."

"And she hasn't called back?"

"No Nathan, she hasn't called back."

"Well try again."

"It's only been half an hour Nathan, jeez!"

"Call her back; I want to know if she got the ticket."

"For fucks sake Nathan!" Jake shouted, rolling his eyes.

"Call her back."

"Okay, okay, I'll call her back." Jake said in a resigned tone as he picked up the phone and dialled the number he had scribbled down earlier. "What's gotten into you, you never ask girls to games anyway, what's so special about this one?"

Nathan sat back on the chair and puffed a long breath of air out. He'd been asking himself the same question all night. He'd watched her get pushed away from him by the blonde bitch at the gala and had waited for her at the table, as she said she would be 'right back', for half an hour, when he realised she wasn't coming back to him. He had walked around the hall for the next half an hour, searching for her in her pink dress, but he couldn't find her. So he had gone back to the table, just in case she was looking for him, and had waited another twenty minutes before giving up and going home. He walked through his front door and dragged himself to bed, only to toss and turn all night, not getting a wink of sleep; for all that consumed his mind was her.

He chuckled to himself, remembering the way she fiddled with her hair, the way her blush had crept over her body when she realised he was flirting with her, the way her eyes kept looking down and their joined hands and the way she had starred so intently into his eyes. She was intoxicating, enticing and so sexy in an unobvious way.

Nathan had no clue what he was doing, why he was still thinking about her at all. Usually, he wouldn't have even waited for her to come back, he would have stalked around the room, preying on his next target, but he was drawn to her in a way that he had never been drawn to someone before and it excited him, as well as confused the shit out of him.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of Jake talking to what he hoped was her manager.

"Hello, this is Jake Jagielski, I represent Nathan Scott, I left a message with you."

"Ah Jake Jagielski. I got your message, I deleted it." Peyton returned, rolling her eyes.

"Oh." Came Jake's response, he didn't quite know what to say to that.

"Well…" Peyton said impatiently.

"Oh… Erm… I was just calling to check if you had received the ticket we sent for Miss James to attend Mr Scott's basketball game tomorrow evening."

Peyton raised her eyebrow at that, flicking through the mail Haley had put on her desk earlier, opening all the envelopes quickly. "No, it's not here." _Thank god! _She added to herself.

"Oh, well, we… Erm… I sent it last night so it should be there."

Peyton sighed getting increasingly frustrated with this moron. "Look mister, Haley James will not be attending or participating in any game Mr Scott is starring in okay. So you can tell Mr Scott to back off or he'll have me to answer to." She barked before adding in a sweet voice, "You got that sunshine?"

"Oh… well…. Erm… Yes, okay but….."

Jake was cut off by Peyton. "Good, now don't call again." Peyton shouted before slamming the phone down. "Dick." She muttered to herself.

Haley looked on throughout the phone conversation amused; her ears pricking up when she heard her say 'Mr Scott'. She couldn't help but laugh at the poor sod that was on the other end of that phone, getting the full brunt of Peyton Sawyer, in full protector mode. Her eyes widened as she watched Peyton slam the phone down so hard it almost broke and then laughed out loud when Peyton had muttered 'dick'. "Sounded interesting." Haley said with as straight a face she could.

Peyton fluttered over her desk, looking for this apparent ticket that should have arrived this morning. "You didn't happen to open any of the post this morning did you?" She asked as she lifted up the piles and piles of paper that were scattered over her desk.

Haley knew she shouldn't lie, but she didn't want to admit firstly, that she had opened the mail, even though it was addressed to her and so she technically did nothing wrong and secondly, that she wanted to go to the game. She knew that if she told Peyton she wanted to go, she would go off on one again, much like she had last night. And if Peyton knew she wanted to go, she would immediately assume that she liked him, which was ridiculous, she didn't like Nathan Scott like that, she just wanted to make up for leaving him hanging last night. She knew she was trying to convince herself of the fact that she didn't like him; she just hoped that if she said it enough times she might actually believe it. "No, of course I didn't open any of the mail." Haley lied, pleased that Peyton was too busy faffing around her own desk to look at Haley and realise that she was telling a big fat lie.

Peyton looked under the remaining papers, satisfied that the ticket had definitely not appeared. _Thank fuck for that! _She said to herself. She straightened herself out before turning to Haley and starting the meeting she had urgently called. "Okay, well I guess we should get started then."

"Okay." Haley said as she sat up in the chair, ready for whatever Peyton had needed to discuss 'face to face'.

"Nathan Scott." Peyton started.

Haley groaned out loud and slid back into the chair. "Peyton, please do not tell me you woke me up at some ungodly hour and dragged me into your office at nine o'clock in the morning to talk about Nathan Scott." She cried out.

"Well I did so you my friend are going to have to shut up and listen. I saw the way you were flirting with him last night and I saw the way you were daydreaming about him ten minutes ago."

"I was not daydreaming about him." Haley lied again.

"Bull. Shit. Now, Haley you cannot get caught up with a guy like that. He's one of those self-centred pigs that you hate. So I don't understand why you even let him talk to you."

_Cos he's gorgeous and sexy and smells great, has the most amazing eyes and he looks like he has one hell of a hot body. _Haley thought to herself, trying to resist the temptation to zone out on him again. "He came over, we talked, and it was no big deal, so stop making it out to be like I'm falling for him." Haley tried to sound convincing.

Peyton eyed her suspiciously. "You do know what he's like with women, don't you?"

"God, yes Peyton, I know he has a bit of a reputation." Haley cried out, shaking her head.

"'A bit of a reputation', is the understatement of the century." Peyton shouted as she brought her pc to life by shaking the mouse, clicking on the internet. "Let's pull up one, just one, celebrity magazine and see what his reputation is like, shall we?"

Haley rolled her eyes as she watched Peyton click that mouse like it was on fire or something. "Peyton you don't need to…"

"Oh look!" Peyton said in a very sarcastic tone as she swivelled the monitor around so Haley could see, "look at that Haley, I type in 'Nathan Scott and girl' and I get over a thousand replies. From one website!" She shouted.

"Peyton, I don't need to look at that…"

Peyton clicked the next page and laughed out loud, "this just gets better, there is an article on the 'Women in Nathan Scott's life over a year', let's click on this one shall we, see what rays of light we can shine on this kerfuffle."

Haley could only roll her eyes as Peyton started reading.

"Self confessed bachelor Nathan Scott was spotted with yet another new girl on his arm as he made his way home after another night on the town. The girl had better watch out though, because if she is thinking a relationship is on the cards, then she's very much mistaken. This boy is a player and does not do relationships." Peyton read slowly, trying to allow the words of the article to sink into Haley's obviously confused and deluded mind.

"It does not say that." Haley mumbled to herself.

"Erm, I think it does Haley, look." Peyton said as she pointed to the screen.

Haley scoffed as she lent up from the chair and started to read the first couple of lines, and sure enough, Peyton had been reading it correctly. Haley glared at Peyton, not bothering to read the rest as she slumped back in her chair.

"You see Haley, he's an ass." Peyton sighed.

"Whatever Peyton. Have you finished now? Am I free to leave the lions den?"

Peyton shook her head at Haley. "Go on, you're free to go. Don't forget you have a magazine interview at one and a radio interview at four. They are both calling you."

"Thanks." Haley said as she grabbed her bag from the floor and walked out of the office and into the lift. She pulled out the piece of paper which held the ticket again, reading his words. _So he had a reputation? _She thought to herself. So did she, she was the 'pop princess', could do no wrong, never made mistakes. _Yeah right! _She thought to herself. Haley's reputation was an exaggeration and she was sure that Nathan's was too, _it had to be! _She sure as hell didn't want to believe it, but there was Peyton's voice replaying in her head, "_This boy is a player…_"

~*~

Jake starred at his phone in utter disbelief. "What a bitch!"

Nathan laughed, "You get her manager?"

"Yeah." Jake said, still shocked at how rude she was.

"Yeah, she's a bitch."

"Thanks for the warning!"

"No problem!" Nathan said, still smiling.

"Well, she, erm, she doesn't appear to have the ticket."

"What!" Nathan shouted.

"She said that she didn't receive it."

"But you sent it."

"I told you I sent it already Nathan. I'm not sure she wants you anywhere near Haley. You might want to give up on this one and move on."

"Fuck off."

"I'm serious, she told me to tell you to back off."

"Or what?"

"You'll have her to answer to, and believe me; she doesn't sound like the kind of person you want to get on the wrong side of!"

~*~

Haley looked at herself in the mirror and scoffed at herself as she pulled the top she was wearing over her head and threw it on the floor in frustration. She had no idea what was going on with her, it was only a top for crying out loud, and it was only a stupid basketball game, he probably wouldn't even know she was there; the crowds would be so large. _But what if he does see you? _She thought to herself as she stomped over to her walk in wardrobe and pulled out a black halter neck, threw it over herself and walked back over to her full length mirror. _What the hell are you supposed to wear to a basketball game anyway?! _

She shook her head at her reflection and decided to stick with the black halter neck and jeans, it was casual but looked nice, she threw on her black stiletto heels to dress the outfit up a little more, before grabbing her purse, double checking she had the ticket in there and got into the waiting car.

The car pulled up at the arena and she hopped out, hoping to stay unnoticed. She wandered into the building and searched for the door to her section, trying to keep her head down as best she could, she really didn't want to be recognised tonight. Finding the door quickly, she made her way through the throng of people, walking down the steps to her row. She was walking closer and closer to the court and stopped when she reached the bottom, realising that her seat was courtside. She shrugged to herself as she took her seat, not really knowing what to do; she had never been to a basketball game before.

The arena quickly filled up and the teams were being called by the announcer. Haley leaned on her knees as she took in the atmosphere, it was just like being at one of her concerts, it was electric! She felt the nervous energy from the players as they made their way out on court.

"And finally, for the New York Knicks, number 23, Nathan Scott!" The announcer screamed down the microphone.

The crowd went crazy, and Haley couldn't help but laugh as she watched him run out onto the court. He really was milking it!

Nathan ran out onto the court when he heard his name, his eyes instantaneously moving to the seat she should be occupying, if it wasn't for his stupid manager fucking up, all he needed to do was send one stupid ticket and he couldn't even do that right, and now Nathan's mind was racing with stupid ideas of how he could see her again, without having her bitch of a manager to answer to. He stopped running for a second as his eyes did a double take. She was there, in the exact seat she was supposed to be sitting in. He blinked a few times, begging his mind to stop playing tricks on him. She looked stunning, dressed in some tight fitting jeans and a tight fitting halter neck, simple and beautiful. He pinched himself for good measure, and when he closed his eyes and opened them again, she was still there, smiling shyly at him. He gave her a wink as he ran over to his teammates. He couldn't believe she was there, how did she get the ticket if her manager had said she hadn't received it?! He wasn't complaining though, as he threw another sideways glance at her. _God she was sexy._

Haley watched as he winked at her, her blush creeping over her face. She eyed him up and down. She hadn't been wrong about those arms when she had last seen him in the tux. He was ripped! Muscles were bulging all over the place, in places she didn't even know you could get muscles! She couldn't help but want to walk over to him and touch them; her hands were begging to feel them, to feel him. She blushed at herself as she tucked her hands safely under her thighs, she didn't want to make a fool of herself!

Haley jumped up, screaming again as Nathan dunked yet another basket. He looked so good out there and, not that she knew anything about basketball, but she presumed he was playing really well, racking up the points on the scoreboard. The Knicks had a clear lead over the Celtics and Haley knew that to only mean a good thing. She sat back down in her seat, surprised at how much she was enjoying herself, _who knew Haley James would actually enjoy attending a basketball game?!_

The final whistle blew and the Knicks had clearly won, the arena went crazy as everyone, including Haley jumped out of their seats clapping and cheering the players. The team walked around the court, clapping along with the crowd.

Nathan made his way over towards where Haley was now standing and wandered slowly along the row of people, before halting in front of her. "Glad you could make it!" He said as he continued to clap, only glancing briefly down at her. "Wait for me here, I'll get out as soon as I can, okay?"

Haley looked up at him and nodded her head.

"Good."

Haley watched as he walked around the rest of the court, she blushed as she chewed her lip with her teeth. He looked good from behind too, almost, if not as good as from the front.

The teams made their way back into the locker rooms and the arena began to empty. Haley sat back down on her seat, pulling her phone out of her bag and scrolling through the e-mails and messages she had received during the game, responding to ones that needed her to, deleting the ones that didn't matter.

Half an hour later, Haley looked up to find Nathan walking back out onto the court, changed and showered, wearing jeans and a light blue polo which showed of his arm muscles just as well as the basketball shirt did. She put her phone back in her bag and pulled it onto her shoulder, walking slowly to meet him.

"I'm so sorry I took so long, team meeting with the coach ran on longer than usual!" He said as he walked closer to her, he stopped when they met each other. "You look stunning, Haley. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me!" Haley gushed as she started to fiddle with her hair again.

Nathan watched with a smirk as she played with her hair, which was down this evening, instead of up like it was last night. She looked beautiful with it either way. "I thought your manager didn't get the ticket?" He questioned.

She giggled. "That is a long story."

There was that giggle again. He had replayed that noise in his head a thousand times the last couple of days. "Fancy sharing the story with me over a few drinks?" He asked, flashing the all important Scott smirk.

Haley watched as his face moulded into that smirk again. He looked so sexy with that smirk, hell, he looked sexy without the smirk, and she could bet you that he looked even sexier without those clothes on. "Sure." She responded as they started walking out of the arena.

They walked out of the arena via the back door; Nathan was playing the dutiful gentleman, holding open doors for her as they went. They reached the back door and Nathan put his hand on her back as they walked through it, to the waiting limo. Haley could feel his touch burning a hole in her skin, she felt so hot underneath it.

The limo drove them to a bar in the city and pulled up outside the back door. "Don't you need to call first to check if we can go in this way?" Haley asked, experience telling her that bar managers didn't like it when people just showed up at back doors.

"No, its fine, actually my brother owns this bar!" Nathan responded as he got out of the limo and held open the back door for Haley to walk through.

They entered the bar, which was heaving with people. Nathan grabbed her hand and led her through the sea of people to the VIP area. Haley felt that same jolt of electricity running from her hand, to her toes, and back up her body again at his touch. She allowed him to lead her through the bar until he placed her in a corner. "What do you want to drink, Miss James."

"Glass of white wine please." She responded as she watched him walk up to the bar.

"Nice game Nate!" The barman gave him a slap on the shoulder over the bar.

"Thanks Luke. You watch it?" He asked.

"Yeah we had it on in here. So who's the victim of the Nathan Scott hunt tonight?" Lucas asked as he threw a glance over at the corner where the girl he had entered with sat fiddling with her hair and watching people dance.

"No one." Nathan responded, not wanting to tell his brother who he had brought with him tonight.

"I think I recognise her from somewhere." Lucas mumbled as he squinted over at her, recognition dawning over him, as he burst into a fit of laughter. "No way man!"

"What?" Nathan questioned annoyed at his brothers outburst of laughter.

"You and Haley James?"

"What?" Nathan said through gritted teeth.

"You cannot be serious! You'd damage her reputation in five seconds!"

"Fuck off Lucas." Nathan bit.

Lucas held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, Nate, but think this through please. It's fine to do what you do with models and whores, but she isn't like that. Don't screw her over."

"I'm not going to screw her over. Okay. Now can you please just do your job and get me my drinks."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Large glass of white wine, a beer and a shot of vodka."

Lucas watched him carefully as he poured the drinks and handed them to him. "I meant it Nate, don't fuck her up."

Nathan took the drinks and glared at Lucas before turning around and walking back to Haley. He smiled as he watched her fiddle with her hair and bite her lip. She was absolutely stunning. "Here you go." He smiled as he handed her the glass of wine, before placing himself next to her.

"Thanks!" Haley grabbed the glass and took a large gulp, before placing it back on the table. She was so nervous being this close to him, she needed some Dutch courage.

Nathan placed the shot of vodka between them and pulled out some coins from his pockets and placed them on the table. "Okay Haley, how bout we play a game? We take turns at trying to get the coin in the shot glass and then we get to ask a question to each other if it goes in, and you have to answer honestly."

Haley looked up at him highly amused. "You want us to play tiddlywinks?!"

"What?" Nathan asked back, slightly confused at what the hell she was saying.

"Tiddlywinks!" She said again as she picked up her wine glass and took another gulp.

"I have no idea what the hell you are talking about girly!" He laughed.

She laughed back, he called her girly! _That was so cute!_ She cooed to herself. She looked back up at him, seeing he was waiting for her to answer him. "The game you just described is called Tiddlywinks, where you flip tokens into a pot, well it's kind of like Tiddlywinks, except for the whole question part, I don't think they do that in actual Tiddlywinks." She pondered to herself before glancing over at him, he was looking at her like she was losing her mind, she was babbling again. "Never mind. Let's play." She said quickly as she sung back into the leather seat.

He laughed at her again. "Okay, you want to go first?"

"Okay." She took two coins from the pile and started to aim them towards the shot glass.

Nathan chuckled to himself.

She glared at him, breaking her concentration.

"You stick your tongue out when you concentrate." He said.

"I do not." Haley mumbled, before turning back to concentrating on her aim, choosing to ignore his smirking.

Her tongue slipped out again. Just the tip of it, but he was mesmerised by it, wanting to feel it against his own, wanting to have her lick him all over. He closed his eyes, imagining her on top of him running it seductively over his chest. He felt his pants tighten at the fantasy and jolted his eyes open. He didn't need to be having those thoughts right now, as much as he wanted them to be real.

She got ready to take her shot, pinging the coin in the air, watching as it bounced no where near the glass. "Oh crap." She sighed as she sunk back into the chair, crossing her arms in a huff.

Nathan laughed as he took two coins and effortlessly pinged a coin into the shot glass.

Haley rolled her eyes and huffed again.

"Guess I get to ask something now then!" Nathan teased. "Okay, something easy… What's you're favourite flower?"

Haley looked at him weirdly. She thought he was going to ask her something outrageous, but apparently not. "Lilies." She responded.

They took it in turns playing the game, and drinking their drinks, ordering more drinks and drinking those too. Haley was failing miserably, Nathan getting the coin in every time. So far he had found out her favourite flower, colour, where she was born, what she liked to do in her spare time, what inspired her to become a singer, what sports she liked, he noted that basketball wasn't one of them, he was going to have to change that and where her favourite place was.

She had just missed another shot. "This isn't fair; it's obvious that you have a good aim."

"You bet I do!"

"I know you do, I just saw you play and get that ball through the hoop countless times."

"Like what you see?" He asked as he ran a seductive eye over her.

She shuddered and blushed, not daring her mouth to say anything. She was enticed by him though, that's for sure. He didn't seem anything like that stupid article Peyton had read to her earlier. He seemed, charming, interested in her, he wasn't being cheesy or anything and as far as she was aware, his eye hadn't drifted from her all night. And yes, she was watching him closely, she couldn't keep her eyes off him.

He flicked the last coin into the glass and turned to her, that cheeky smirk on his face again. Haley was sure he knew exactly what that look did to her; it turned her to a giggling schoolgirl!

"Okay, question for Haley." He tapped his hand on his chin.

Haley watched as his arm muscles tightened when he brought his hand up to his face and felt her mouth go dry.

"What's you phone number?" He asked.

"What?" Haley responded, surprised by his question.

"You're phone number. Come on answer the question, you know the rules, you have to answer. Honestly."

Haley gulped, unsure of whether she should give it to him. She looked into his eyes, _shit! _Big mistake! She felt her hand move to her bag as she unzipped it and before she knew it her phone was sitting in her lap, her hands searching for her number.

He laughed at why she was looking through her phone, "you don't know your own number?!"

"Nope." Haley responded. She found her number and handed her phone to him, allowing him to copy the number into his phone. He handed the phone back to her and watched as she placed it back on the table in front of them.

She looked up at him staring back into his blue eyes. Her hand wandered to her glass and she picked it up, not breaking her gaze with him for a second, slowly bringing the glass to her. She licked her lips, bringing the glass up to her when she suddenly felt a force take the glass and place it back on the table. She glanced down, seeing that it was his hand that had guided it back away from her. She looked up, slightly confused at him.

He watched her tongue lick her full, red lips and couldn't take it anymore. He needed to kiss her; he needed to feel that tongue against his. He dropped her glass on the table and moved his hand up towards her face, brushing a lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, before bringing his hand back onto her cheek, rubbing his thumb across it, her skin felt so soft and smooth underneath his touch.

Haley watched as his hand came closer to her, she held her breath, only releasing the breath when he started to run his thumb over her cheek. His touch was light, tickling her slightly. She looked back into his eyes, seeing that they had taken a darker hue. She watched as his face lent into hers.

His eyes wandered over her face, up and down that sexy body of hers. He leaned in, unable to resist the temptation in front of him any longer. His hand slipped to the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. He got closer to her lips, stopping to calm himself for a second, "God you're so beautiful."

She felt his breath against her face and could have sworn his lips brushed hers when he started whispering to her.

He started to move the mere millimetres that were need to join their lips together, when her phone buzzed to life on the table. She jumped a foot away from him, apologising profusely as she picked up the phone off the table.

_Fuck!!! _Nathan thumped the back of the seat behind him in frustration as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Haley picked up the phone, holding it to her ear.

"Haley."

"Peyton."

"Where are you?" Peyton asked as calmly as she could.

"In a bar, why?"

"Who are you with?"

"No one." Haley lied. After the two lectures she had received about Nathan she wasn't now going to say she was one second away from kissing him.

"Haley James you are fucking lying to me." Peyton shouted.

Haley held the phone away from her ear, grimacing. "No I'm not."

"What did you do tonight?" Peyton asked casually.

"Just hung out with a few friends." Haley lied again.

"Haley cut the crap okay. I know exactly where you were. You went to that son a bitch's basketball game!" Peyton shouted.

"No I didn't!" Haley tried to sound convincing.

"Haley, I have pictures of you gushing up at a certain basketball player right in front of me and all the gossip magazines have been calling me for the past hour asking for a quote about whether you and Nathan Scott are having sex."

_Oh shit. _"I… I…"

"You what Haley?" Peyton threw her free hand in the air. "Did you not listen to anything I said to you? Was I talking to a brick wall?"

"No…" Haley felt about two feet tall.

"Just get out of there now Haley and come over, we need to try and figure out what we're gonna do about this." Peyton hung up the phone, the disappointment evident in the tone of her voice.

Peyton was beyond pissed, Haley knew that. She threw her phone in her bag and pulled it to her shoulder before standing up.

Nathan watched her stand up, wondering where on earth she was running off too. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have to go, I need to be somewhere." Haley responded, before moving away from the table.

He ran after her grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "You can't leave now, not on your own anyway, let me get you a car or something." Nathan pleaded with her. As much as he didn't want her to leave, if she was going to go, he wanted to make sure she was safe.

It was going to take every ounce of strength she had to walk away from him, but she knew she had to. She reached up and ran her finger down his cheek. "I'll be fine Nathan, thank you for tonight; I had a really good time okay." She responded before turning around and walking out of the bar.

Nathan watched her leave, slamming his body back against the chair, punching the side of it repeatedly. When he had vented enough of his frustrations, he held his hands to his face. His mind was clouded with anger, confusion and aggravation, but all he could see was Haley smiling, giggling, fiddling with her hair, her tongue licking her lips and he has just let her walk away from him again. _What the fuck was wrong with him?!_

**AN – I'm so sorry how long that chapter was; I got a bit carried away! I hope you enjoyed it though! x**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN – You guys are great!! Thank you so much for the reviews, they really made me smile! You lot really don't like Peyton, huh?! We'll see what you think about her after this next chapter…! I got asked about Peyton/Jake and Brooke/Lucas relationships, the next couple of chapters should help clear that up… Anyway, let me know what you all think about this chapter by dropping me a review! x**

**Chapter Three**

Lucas looked over to where Nathan was seated in the corner and could feel the frustration flowing from him to where he was standing behind the bar. He shook his head and walked over to Nathan. "So where's the girl gone?"

Nathan looked up at his brother, "She got a call and said she had to leave."

"And you couldn't even be man enough to take her home? God Nathan, didn't Mum teach you any manners? Or has all the celebrity status well and truly gone to your head?"

"Shut up Luke, of course I offered to take her home; I'm not that much of a fucking asshole."

"Could have fooled me." Lucas responded.

Nathan jumped out of his seat so that he could get to eye level with his brother. "What the fuck is your problem Luke?"

Lucas held up his hands, "I'm not gonna fight with you Nathan, you just need to calm down."

"I am fucking calm, now what is your problem."

"You are anything but calm." Lucas responded as he pushed Nathan back down into his seat and took a seat for himself next to his brother. "So what happened?"

"She just got this call, I don't know who it was from, or where she was going but she just ran off."

"I'm sorry man." Lucas patted him on his shoulder and walked back to the bar to continue working.

"Yeah so am I." Nathan mumbled to himself as he ran his hand through his hair. He never got this hooked on a girl, so why the hell was he so consumed on Haley James?

~*~

Haley's car pulled up outside Peyton's apartment. She really didn't want to get out of the car, hell she hadn't wanted to leave the bar at all; she was having such a good time with Nathan. But she knew that if she didn't leave right away, Peyton would be even angrier than she was on the phone, and plus, it was probably better to get the shouting and the lecture over and done with tonight, rather than giving her time to stew over it all night. "Here goes nothing." Haley mumbled to herself as she stepped out of the car and into the apartment building.

Peyton answered the door in her dressing gown, not even greeting Haley, just opening the door wide enough so she could walk in. Once Haley was safely inside, she slammed it shut as hard as she could.

Haley winced. "Peyton, you do know it's like two o'clock in the morning, I'm sure your neighbours won't be too pleased with all the noise you're making."

Peyton's eyes grew wider as she listened to what Haley was saying to her. "You think I give a shit what the fucking neighbours think? And believe me Haley; if you're worried about the noise coming from a door slam, well honey, you have not heard the end of this conversation yet. So brace yourself."

"Oh boy." Haley mumbled as she made her way into the lounge.

Peyton followed her, waving her finger at Haley. "Don't you dare walk away from me Haley James, do you hear me."

Haley turned around and stood still, facing Peyton. "Yes okay, I hear you. I think the whole building can hear you!"

"Don't act smart with me. What the fuck were you thinking?" Peyton cried out.

"About what?"

"Going to the game, seeing him, talking to him? You were at the bar with him too, weren't you?"

"So what if I was. We were just hanging out." Haley said simply.

"Just hanging out." Peyton laughed at her. She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the pictures that had been sent to her and thrust them in Haley's face. "Does this look like two people that want to just hang out, huh?"

Haley looked down at the picture of her and Nathan. She was standing up with Nathan standing in front of her, both of their eyes locked on each other, both wearing a small grin, his that sexy smirk that he has, it had been taken just after they had won and he had just asked her if she would wait for him after the game. She looked at the next one behind it and it was of her blushing and chewing her lip once he had walked away from her. _Oh shit. _

"Well?" Peyton shouted.

"I… er…." Haley didn't have a clue what to say.

"How about I tell you? The people in these pictures, Haley James, certainly do not look like they are of two people who want to hang out. Do you know what they look like?"

"What?"

"Two people that want to hook up." Peyton shouted.

Haley didn't say anything. She was just grateful that Peyton didn't have a snap of their near kiss at the bar. His hand caressing her cheek, the way he had whispered about her being beautiful, they feel of his breath against her skin and the tingling sensations that ran through her whole body were being replicated from just thinking about it. Haley could do nothing but imagine the fury that would have been unleashed if Peyton had seen pictures of that, this was bad enough.

"Haley will you stop fucking daydreaming." Peyton shouted. "We need to sort this bloody mess out."

"Sorry." Haley said sheepishly, blushing at the fact that she had been caught thinking about him yet again. She really needed to stop doing that.

"So what…" Peyton was cut off by the phone ringing. She huffed angrily as she made her way over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello." Peyton listened to what the caller had to say. "No comment."

Haley lifted her head to watch Peyton on the phone. 'No comment' had to mean that the caller was the press.

"Listen to me you asshole. 'No comment' means no fucking comment."

Haley raised her eyebrow.

"Can you not fucking hear me or something? I said 'no comment'; I did not say that Haley James had anything going on with Nathan Scott." Peyton shouted as she hung up the phone, really wanting to turn it off but she knew she couldn't, the press would only assume something was definitely going on if she wasn't there to tell them otherwise.

Haley couldn't help a giggle escaping her mouth. As far as she was concerned, all this was ridiculous.

"Oh so you think this is funny now?" Peyton couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Well you have to admit it is a little funny."

"Haley, does this face look like the face on a person who thinks something is funny, cos let me tell you, this whole thing is not funny." Peyton cried out as she pointed to her face.

Haley shut up.

Peyton sighed. "What are we going to tell the press?"

"I dunno, you're the manager, you think of something." Haley shrugged.

"Well you got yourself into this mess."

"What mess?" Haley shouted.

"This mess Haley, the mess that could damage your career, your reputation, everything you worked so hard to achieve." Peyton shouted back.

Haley glared at Peyton. She really didn't want another lecture about damaging her career, she'd had to endure enough of those throughout the years, and so she said nothing.

Peyton closed her eyes and shook her head, bringing her hand up to rest on her forehead. "Well we need to come up with more than 'no comment'."

Haley sat down on the sofa, still not saying a word.

Peyton crashed down onto the armchair. "Why did you even go Haley? After everything we talked about?" Peyton said in a softer tone.

Haley looked over at her. She couldn't say that she had wanted to see Nathan again, even if it was obvious, admitting that to Peyton after she had warned her away from him so many times would only feed the fire and Haley was too tired to hear anymore. "I was curious; I'd never been to a basketball game before, so I decided to go. No big deal." _What a stupid excuse! _Haley thought to herself, there's no way Peyton's going to buy that!

"Oh right, and the first game that you attend happens to be the one that Nathan Scott is playing in, huh?" Peyton got up from the armchair and started pacing in front of Haley.

Haley watched Peyton walk from left to right, _oh fuck she's pacing. _Pacing was never good in Peyton Sawyer world.

"The very same game that his manager called me about, saying that he had sent a ticket to the office for you to attend."

Gulp. _Oh shit._

"A ticket that I never got, I might add." Peyton stopped pacing and turned to face Haley. "So how are you gonna explain that one to me?"

~*~

Nathan was still slumped in the same chair that Lucas had pushed him down on. He had no idea why Haley had rushed off like that, and he honestly felt like killing whoever had called her, and interrupted their moment. He closed his eyes, and could still smell her, picturing her face just millimetres away from his own, the touch of her skin, which was soft as silk. He opened his eyes and sighed to himself, glancing to the left of him to find some bitch sat next to him, smiling at him.

"Hey Nathan." She said in what he was sure she thought was a sultry voice, but to Nathan, it sounded ridiculous.

He didn't say anything to her. He didn't want to talk to her. The only person he wanted to talk to was Haley, and she had run out of here so fast, he wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him again.

The bitch slid closer to Nathan and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling his body close to hers.

He glared at her, before removing her hand from his neck. "Not tonight."

She gave him a look of disgust and walked away.

_Slut. _Nathan thought to himself. The only person he wanted to be wrapped up against him was Haley.

He looked back to where the slut had been sitting, to find the seat now taken by a brunette. "Oh come on, you have to be kidding me, I just got rid of one whore, now I have to deal with you too tonight?"

"Hi to you too Nathan."

"What do you want Brooke?" Nathan sighed.

Brooke looked over to see the girl that had just been cuddling up to Nathan walk away. "What was wrong with her, she seemed just your type?"

_She's not Haley. _He thought about blurting that out, but he knew better. "Just not in the mood tonight."

"Nathan Scott turning down sex? Has the world stopped turning?" Brooke mocked.

"Fuck off Brooke." Nathan responded through gritted teeth. He really wasn't in the mood for this tonight at all.

"Well something must have been wrong with her. I don't think in all the years that I have known you, you have ever said that you are not in the mood for sex. It's what you live for, well sex and basketball." Brooke said as she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up Brooke. I said I wasn't in the mood, and that includes me not being in the mood for your crappy comments." Nathan bit back.

Brooke glared at Nathan. "You can be such a moody ass sometimes, you know that?"

"So what if I can be?"

"God I feel sorry for the girl that ends up with you, if you ever decide to settle down of course."

Lucas had walked back over to Nathan's table and wrapped his arms around Brooke, placing a light kiss on the side of her neck.

"I will settle down when I want to, alright Brooke, so cut the crap and shut it." Nathan shouted.

"God what's up with him?" Brooke asked Lucas.

"His date ran out on him." Lucas responded, while looking at Nathan.

Brooke burst out laughing. "Oh my! Is that what has got you so wound up Nathan?"

Nathan glared at the both of them. He could barely handle Brooke and Lucas separately, but together, they drove him absolutely insane.

"Call her." Lucas threw the comment at Nathan.

"What?" He responded.

"Call her. I saw you put her number in your phone. So why don't you just call her?"

Nathan just continued to glare. He could call her, but he wasn't sure if she would want to hear from him. And besides, there were rules for this kind of thing, he'd seen it on some film once, it was three days he needed to wait before he could call her. _Fuck! _How the hell was he supposed to go three days of not speaking to her, when all he could do was think about her?

"Look Nate, if you're that hung up about her, just call her, and find out where she went and what happened. I'm sure it was something important." Lucas said.

"I am not 'hung up' on anybody." Nathan responded. He didn't know if he was just trying to convince himself of that fact or just trying to get Lucas and now Brooke off his back.

Lucas scoffed. "Yeah right, whatever you say Nate."

Nathan couldn't take either of them anymore. He got up from his seat and walked out of the bar, needing to clear his head and figure out what he was going to do about the girl that kept disappearing on him.

~*~

Haley still hadn't answered Peyton's question about the ticket. She was trying to work out some feasible excuse as to how she could have got to the game without having intercepted the mail and telling the lie to Peyton about not having opened the post when she asked her about it.

"I'm still waiting Haley. And believe me; I can stand here all night long." Peyton threatened.

"I got one from the ticket office that night when I went down to the arena." Haley tried. Hell, it was worth a shot.

Peyton shook her head. "So you're telling me that you just turned up at the ticket office on the night of the game, and there just happened to be a courtside ticket available?"

"Yes." Haley croaked.

"Bullshit." Peyton dismissed what Haley had just said.

"Does it even matter how I got the ticket? I went, it's done, there's nothing you can do about it now." Haley blew out.

Haley could hear her phone ringing in her bag. _Talk about saved by the bell. _She was praying that this would distract Peyton from the whole ticket saga. She walked over to her bag and pulled out her phone. She didn't recognise the number, so she just let it run to voicemail, before turning around to face Peyton, smiling shyly.

"Well thank god you're spending a week in LA in a couple of days, we're going to need you to be out and about as much as possible, probably go to a premiere or something to try to quash these rumours." Peyton started pacing again.

"So what are you going to say to these gossip magazines about the pictures?" Haley questioned.

Peyton threw an evil look in Haley's direction. "I'll come up with some shit about you going to the game and just talking to him, and most importantly stress that nothing happened. Cos nothing did right? You just talked to him?" Peyton questioned, studying Haley's face intently.

_His eyes were looking her up and down, his hand stroking her cheek for a few more seconds, before moving around to the back of her neck, pulling her towards him so they were inches apart. She could smell him, nearly taste him. His breath was hot on her skin. He whispered to her, before moving his mouth closer to hers. _"Yep, nothing happened." Haley responded. Well it was the truth, nothing happened, something could have happened if someone hadn't called and ruined the moment, but nothing happened, she wasn't lying.

Peyton noticed the blush creep across Haley's face. She knew that Scott man was trouble. "Haley you can't see him anymore okay. Do I make myself clear? No more basketball games, no more bar 'hanging out', nothing. I forbid you from seeing him." Peyton said as she walked away from Haley, ready for bed. She was tired of this whole thing.

"What did you just say to me?" Haley shouted.

"I said that I forbid you from seeing him." Peyton said, not even bothering to turn around.

"You can't forbid me from seeing anybody."

"You're right Haley, I can only give you advice on what I think is best for you. And I think it would be best for you to stop seeing him. I'm saying this as your friend as well as your manager. You don't need to get involved with someone like that." Peyton finished as she walked out of the lounge towards her room, leaving Haley to see herself out.

Haley was livid. Peyton had no right to say things like that to her. She walked out of the apartment down to the waiting car, giving the driver her address and asking him to take her home. All she wanted to do right now was crawl into bed and sleep. She was tired of living her life through someone else, someone that needed to do the right thing all the time, who couldn't afford to take risks and make mistakes. Cos that was what life was about right? Taking a few risks. Surely when the risks paid off, that was what it felt like to be living, to be free.

She sighed as she pulled her phone out of her bag, ready to listen to the voicemail that had been left from the unknown caller. She took her shoes off and brought her legs up onto the leather seat, tucking them underneath her, before listening to the message.

"Hi Haley, this is Nathan, just wanted to check that everything was ok and that you got home safe. You ran out of the bar pretty quickly. Anyway, I hope you did, get home safe that is. Erm, call me back when you get a chance. Okay. Bye."

She couldn't help the smile that had come across her face. He was too cute for words, getting all worried about her. That didn't sound like the Nathan Scott Peyton had described a couple of days ago. That sounded like a true gentleman, worried about a girl. She felt all tingly that he had called her to find out how she was. She couldn't help herself when she pressed the button to hear the message again. His voice was too sexy for it not to be heard a second time.

She glanced out of the window, realising she was nearly home. She had listened to the message four times now and every time she heard it, she couldn't help gushing. She decided to call him back, wanting to hear him actually engaging in a conversation with her, rather than rattling out a message, but a cute one at that.

"Haley!" Nathan said.

"Hi Nathan, I got your message, I'm so sorry about running out on you so fast, something came up and I needed to be somewhere pretty quickly."

"No worries. I just wanted to know you had got home safely that's all."

"Well I have just pulled up outside my house now, so there you go, home safely."

"Good."

"Can you just give me two seconds?" Haley said as she put the phone down on the seat beside her, grabbed her shoes and placed them in one of her hands. She got her keys out of her bag before pulling it onto her shoulder, and then grabbed her phone before making a run for the front door. She ran across the gravelled path bare foot. "Shit. Ouch. Fucking gravel."

Nathan pulled the phone away from his ear, wondering what the hell was going on. "Haley?" He said but got no response. "Haley?" He tried again, shouting this time.

"Hold on a second." She shouted into thin air, hoping that Nathan heard her. She was carrying far too much in her hands but continued running towards her front door. She arrived on the porch and tried to get her keys into the lock, when she dropped one of her shoes, which landed right on her foot. "FUCK!" She screamed out, the stiletto heel landing bang smack in the middle of her foot, making her dropping everything but the keys and her phone, before she opened the front door and kicked her shoes and her bag inside. "Fucking shoes."

Nathan shouted down the phone again. "Haley, is everything okay?"

She quickly pulled the phone back up to her ear, "hey, sorry about that."

"What the hell happened?"

"Oh, I just ran up to the house barefoot across the gravel and then dropped my shoe on my foot."

"Well why weren't you wearing your shoes?"

"They were hurting me." Haley pouted.

Nathan chuckled. "Well why did you buy them if they hurt you?"

"Cos they look good."

"Well I can't disagree with that, you looked very sexy tonight, shoes and all." Came his husky, sexy reply.

Haley blushed. _God what is wrong with me? He's not even here and I'm blushing like a tomato. _"Thank you." Haley responded as she walked up the stairs towards her bedroom, checking her feet, which were covered in crap from walking barefoot and deciding to wash them in the bath before going to bed.

"So what was the important stuff you had to go and do?"

"Oh, my manager needed to see me about something. Actually, you should probably know about it too, there were some pictures taken of us at the game and apparently the rumour mill has already started, so you may be getting a call from your manager tomorrow about it." Haley started running the water while talking to him, pouring some of her favourite bubble bath into the water.

"Oh right." Nathan responded, he doubted Jake would call him about the pictures, he was used to them. Nathan listened down the phone, wondering why it sounded like water was being run. "What are you up to?"

"I'm running a bath."

"Really?" He responded with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't stop the thoughts running through his head, Haley James in the bath; he could just imagine getting in it to join her. Oh the fun they would have!

"Not like that. I'm just washing my feet!" Haley laughed. _Men!_

"Oh, well that's a shame; I was having all sorts of thoughts running through my head." He said suggestively.

"What kind of thoughts?" Haley flirted back.

"Naughty thoughts."

Haley blushed and bit her lip. She would love to share a bath with him; she could only image the kind of muscles he was hiding underneath that basketball shirt, and the polo shirt he had worn that night. She stopped the tap that was running and started to wash her feet with her sponge.

"So what are you doing now?"

"Just finished washing my feet. Where are you by the way?"

"I just got home. I stayed at the bar for a while after you left and caught up with my brother and his girlfriend."

"You're brother seems nice, not that I talked to him but.."

"Yeah he's okay; his girlfriend is a pain in the ass though."

Haley giggled. "Why?"

There was that giggle again, he smiled at himself, getting all crushed out on Haley James. "She's just very nosey."

They continued talking for an hour, in which time Haley had changed into her black silk cami set and had got into bed. She yawned.

"You tired?" He asked.

"A little. I'm in bed actually." She said shyly.

"In bed huh?"

"Yep. All tucked up for the night."

God she was killing him. First the bath and now the bed. "What are you wearing?" He asked seductively.

"Nathan!" She cried out.

Nathan chuckled, which sent waves through Haley's entire body. She never knew she would find the sound of someone's voice such a turn on, but here she was in bed, extremely tired, but also extremely turned on.

"I'm sorry. I should probably let you get some sleep though gorgeous."

"Okay." Haley didn't really want to stop talking to him; they had been getting along great but she had a really busy day at the studio coming up.

"Well thank you for coming to the game and for going to the bar afterwards, I had fun."

"Me too."

"You want to meet up for a coffee or something before you fly out to LA?" He asked.

"How did you know I was going to LA?" She asked. She was sure she hadn't said anything about it to him tonight.

"You told me at the gala."

_He remembered something I said at the gala! _She gushed to herself. "Oh right!"

"So do you have some time free?"

"Yeah sure, just let me know when you want to meet up and I'll see if I'm free."

"Ok will do. Sleep tight Haley, I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, you too. Bye." Haley hung up the phone and couldn't help kicking her legs underneath the covers in excitement. Not only had they just had the greatest phone conversation known to man, but he had called her gorgeous, said she looked sexy, remembered some small detail she had told him two days ago and he had asked her out for coffee! _Screw you Peyton! _She thought to herself. Nathan Scott was amazing.

~*~

The past two days had been a bit of a blur. Haley had been busy recording some new songs and getting ready for the trip to LA. She had been avoiding Peyton, only talking to her when she really needed to. She certainly wasn't going to tell Peyton that she and Nathan had been texting constantly over the past two days, and not just normal texts either, they were definitely of the flirty variety, or that she was meeting him for coffee in, she looked down at her watch, wondering what the time was. _Shit! _She only had an hour until she needed to be there.

She rushed into her house and ran into her bathroom, jumping under the shower. Once she was finished, she ran into her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of tight fitting jeans, before debating what top to wear. It was only coffee, so she didn't want to overdo it, but she still wanted to look nice. She decided on a pink strappy top and pulled out some pink sandals to match the colour of the top.

She walked back out to her room, wondering what the hell she was going to do with her hair. She blow dried it as quick as she could, before curling it with her tongs. Glancing back at the clock, she realised she was going to be late. She grabbed her bag and ran out of the house.

Nathan was already waiting for her at the backstreet coffee shop he had arranged for them to meet at. Haley rushed in, "I'm so sorry I'm late!"

Nathan stood up to meet her, smiling at her, she really did light up at any time of the day. "No problem, what do you want to drink?"

"Can I have a latte please?" She smiled at him.

He smiled back before making his way over to the counter to order the drinks. She appraised what he was wearing, jeans with a black sweatshirt. His ass looked so good from where she was sitting, she found herself staring at it for a while. She moved her gaze from it, albeit reluctantly, seeing that Nathan was engaged in a friendly conversation with the waiter.

"Here you go, one latte." He said as he placed the drink down on the table. She looked stunning as always, she had curled her hair this time, the curls cascading down past her shoulders and he longed to touch them, he wanted to feel them to see if they were as soft as they looked.

"Thank you. You seemed very friendly with the waiter."

"Oh yeah, I come here all the time, it's off the main road so you don't get too many photographers around here, it's nice to escape all that sometimes."

"I know exactly what you mean!" Haley responded.

"So you looking forward to LA?"

"Hmmm, I'm going to be really busy, but yeah I guess so, I leave tomorrow. You've got some basketball games coming up haven't you?"

"Yeah, one tomorrow and one on Sunday."

"You gonna win again?" She asked.

"Of course!"

She smiled at him. She loved his confidence, not just in his basketball games, but in himself, it was really sexy.

"Did you enjoy the basketball game then?" He asked.

"You know what, I did, I'd never been to one before."

"What? That was your first basketball game?" He was shocked.

Haley nodded her head.

"I can't believe that! We're going to have to get you to come to a few more then!" He shook his head, still in shock. "How can you not have been to a game before?!"

"Just haven't. To be honest with you, I didn't really like basketball."

Nathan opened his mouth in shock, before pretending to look hurt by what she had just said about his beloved sport.

She rolled her eyes and laughed at him, grabbing his arm away from him chest that was held to his heart in mock pain. "I said I 'didn't like basketball. I do now." She said as she released her grip on his arm.

"What changed your mind?" He asked.

"Oh just some guy I met."

"Some guy huh? What's this guy like." Nathan said with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think you'd like him much." She teased.

"Well if he gets to have you all for himself I definitely don't like him." He said while staring into her eyes.

Haley stared right back into his deep blue eyes. They held their gaze with each other until Haley's phone started to ring.

She picked her bag up from the floor and saw it was Peyton calling her. _Does she have some secret camera or something?! _She wondered to herself as she shot Nathan an apologetic glance before picking it up. "Hello."

"Hi Haley, only me."

"What's up?"

"Just calling about LA. I've arranged some more interviews for you to go to and also on Sunday you're going to the premiere for that new film that's coming out."

"Okay."

"With Chase Adams."

"WHAT?" Haley shouted.

"I said you're going to a premiere with Chase Adams as your date."

"No I am not." Haley shouted back.

"Haley, yes you are. This way people will stop thinking anything is going on between you and that basketball prick. It's a sure fire way to stop the gossip."

"Peyton I don't want to go."

"Tough."

"Cancel it."

"I can't, it's all been arranged. You're going with him Haley, and that's final." Peyton said before hanging up the phone.

Nathan watched as Haley hung up her phone and threw it in her bag.

"Bitch." Haley muttered to herself.

"Everything ok?" Nathan asked.

"My manager's a bitch." Haley moaned.

Nathan laughed. "They usually are. What's your manager gone and done?"

Haley looked at him, unsure of whether to tell him or not. If she didn't though, he was bound to find out from all the pictures that would be taken of the event, so it was better to be upfront about it now. Maybe if he asked her not to do it, she could fight Peyton a bit more, either that or cancel it herself. "She wants me to go to a premiere in LA with Chase Adams as my date."

Nathan sat back in his chair. _God her manager really was a bitch._ Nathan thought to himself. He felt like someone had just punched all the air out of him. He and Haley had been getting along so well the past couple of days, the flirty banter between them was evident, as was the connection he felt when he was near her. He wanted to be around her all the time; he craved her, which was very confusing for someone who didn't do relationships. He knew he should tell her, beg her not to go, but he couldn't, his pride was standing in his way. And the jealousy he was feeling for that fucking Chase Adams was all consuming. "That sounds… nice." Was all he could bring himself to say.

Haley deflated. She had so wanted him to say something that would make her not go. She wanted him to be honest about what was really going on between them. She knew that it had only been a couple of days but they were getting along great, or so she thought. "Yeah it does sound nice." Haley said a tad bitterly. "I should probably get going, I still need to pack."

"Oh, okay." Nathan responded. He didn't quite know how to leave things with them. He wanted to kiss her, make her see how good things could be between them if she just stayed here and didn't go to LA, didn't go to that stupid premiere with that dick. But he just stayed in his seat. "Have fun in LA."

Haley couldn't bring herself to say anything to him. She just smiled and walked out, the disappointment in him, in herself running through her entire being.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Nathan walked into Lucas' bar, exhausted after another gruelling practice. The Knicks had won their game during the week and now they were focussing on the game taking place on Sunday. At least that was what the rest of the team and the coach were doing; Nathan couldn't focus on anything, anything other than Haley that is. She was constantly in his thoughts; he couldn't think about anything without having her pop up in his head, he couldn't even concentrate during the week's basketball game, which was very dangerous. His coach had given him hell for not being at the top of his game, and Nathan couldn't even argue back, as he knew his coach was right. He slumped into one of the chairs that was at the bar and put his face on the table, trying to push Haley out of his mind and concentrate on nothing. He listened to his breathing, in and out, in and out. God all he wanted to do was kiss her.

"Hey Nate, what brings you here so early? It's only twelve!" Lucas asked as he dropped the case of beers he had just brought in from the delivery that had just arrived.

"Just finished practice, and somehow I ended up here." Nathan mumbled, not lifting his head from the table.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked.

"Yes." Came Nathan's muffled reply.

"So why have you got your head on my bar?"

Nathan lifted his head. "Cos I do."

Lucas looked up at Nathan's face for the first time since he had walked into the bar. "God you look awful."

"Thanks Luke." Nathan rolled his eyed and placed his head back down on the cool bar. He hadn't really slept at all since Haley had dropped the bombshell that she was going on that date with Chase Adams. Having his head on the bar was actually rather soothing, the cold metal was cooling his head, well something needed to cool down the images of Haley that were milling through his mind. Not only were these pictures of Haley running through his head constantly, but the images were getting worse. He was imagining her naked, on his bed, which was bad enough, but then these images of that actor that she was going on a 'date' with would flash through his head too, and then before he knew it, they were going at it on his bed. "Arghhhh!" He grunted out in frustration.

Lucas heard Nathan's frustrated grumble, got up from refilling the fridges with the beer and cracked the two bottles open that he had in his hands and handed one of the bottles to his brother and took a swig of the other one. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Nathan lifted his head and gulped the beer. "Do you know Chase Adams."

"The actor?"

"Yep, the actor."

"Well not personally, but that dude is funny! Brooke gushes over his pictures whenever he's in 'Hello!' or whatever magazine she reads nowadays. Apparently he's 'so hot and has such a pretty face'!" Lucas imitated Brooke's voice and started chuckling to himself.

Nathan glared at him.

Lucas stopped laughing once he realised Nathan wasn't joining in and was in fact looking at him angrily. "Why do you ask?"

Nathan threw his fist down on the bar. "Haley has a date with him tomorrow night." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh."

"Yep, 'oh' indeed."

"Why is she going on a date with him, I thought things were going great between you two?"

"So did I." Nathan sighed.

"So what happened?"

"We met for a coffee during the week, things were going great, and then her manager called and told her she had arranged for her to go to this premiere with the dick."

"So did you tell her how you feel about it?"

"About what?"

"Her going out with someone else."

"Well it's not my place to tell her who to see is it?"

"Well no, but you could have told her that you like her."

Nathan stared back at Lucas. _ 'You could have told her that you like her.' _He mimicked his voice in his head. Yes he could have told her that he likes her, but what difference would it have made? She would still be going to LA, still be going on this date. "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"How do you know that?"

"I just do."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Not since she left the coffee shop."

"Not even text her?"

"Nope, not a word."

Lucas slapped him on head.

"Ouch, what the hell was that for." Nathan said as he rubbed the spot that Lucas had just hit.

"You're an idiot."

"I am not an idiot."

"Yes you are Nathan. Just tell her how you feel for crying out loud. I have never in your twenty four years of existence seen you this mopey about a girl Nathan. She must mean something to you right? Have you been with anyone else since you met her?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I'm not interested in anyone else."

"Do you know why that is Nathan?"

Nathan shook his head again, hoping Lucas could shed some light on the situation cos it was driving him insane. Lucas was right, he never moped about a girl, but here he was sitting in Lucas' bar, moping. Usually, by the time Haley had taken one step away from him at the bar after the game she had come to, he would have moved onto the next girl, but he didn't. It just wasn't like him at all.

"Cos you like her." Lucas whispered, as if he was revealing some amazing secret.

Nathan looked at him, confused for a second, waiting to see if there was more. When he realised there wasn't any more, he spoke, "that's all you got. God Lucas, I could have told you that when you first walked in here. I know I like her."

"So tell her."

"No."

"Why not."

"Cos she's going on this date now."

Lucas sighed in frustration. "One day you are going to get your head out of your ass little brother, and realise that you are nothing but a stubborn fool with too much pride."

"I am not a fool."

"Well then answer me this, why are you sitting in my bar at twelve o'clock in the afternoon, moping cos a girl you like is going on a date with someone else, and she doesn't even know that you like her!"

"She must know I like her."

"Did you tell her?"

"No."

"So how can she know? Look Nathan, women like you to spell things out for them, so unless you tell her, she's not going to think that you do like her, especially with your track record."

"What do you mean, 'especially with my track record'?"

"Well let's just say, you don't exactly have the cleanest of girlfriend records."

"I've never really had a girlfriend." Nathan responded, confused as to what Lucas was getting at.

"Exactly, you've just used girls instead." Lucas said simply.

Nathan looked a little hurt from what Lucas had just said but he knew he was right. He didn't have the best reputation when it came to women, but no one had really interested him before, except for now, with Haley. She was beautiful, intelligent, easy to talk to, didn't fall for his crap and most of all, he enjoyed spending time with her, even if he was only texting her, he'd have a huge smile on his face; he was acting like such a girl!

"You need to call her or at least contact her and then talk to her when she gets back bro, I don't think I can take anymore of your sulking." Lucas patted his shoulder before walking back outside to get the rest of the delivery inside the bar, leaving Nathan to mull it all over.

Nathan stared at his phone. He knew he should call her; he missed talking to her so much and couldn't believe that he had managed to keep the silent treatment up for so long, but he didn't want to. He would just wait until she got back to New York on Tuesday and speak to her then. At least that way he could tell her how he feels to her face. He just prayed that nothing went on between her and 'pretty boy' in the meantime.

~*~

Haley rushed out of the bathroom in her hotel suite and ran over to her phone, which was sitting on the coffee table; she swore she had heard it go off while she was in the bath. She picked it up, praying that she had something from Nathan on there. But when she glanced at her phone, she realised that no one had tried to call or text her at all. She threw the phone back on the table. "Great I'm going mad now too." Haley muttered to herself as she pulled out the Gucci dress she had decided to wear this evening from the wardrobe.

She missed Nathan, which was ridiculous considering that they had hardly known each other a long time at all, but after she had been to the game, they were texting and talking constantly and she liked him, she knew she did. But when she had told him about this stupid date he had said nothing, except for 'Have fun in LA'. What the hell was that?! He should have pleaded with her not to go, or at least not to go on this date. But he had just sat there and said nothing of the sort. She really didn't know where she stood with him at the moment, it was all so confusing.

Haley sighed to herself as she pulled the dress on her. It was a gorgeous dress. Shame she wasn't wearing it to something that she wanted to attend. She heard her phone ring and prayed that it was Nathan, only to be disappointed again.

"Hello." Haley answered the phone unenthusiastically.

"Ok Haley, details for tonight. Chase is going to pick you up at seven, he's bringing the limo to the front of the hotel, so I guess make sure you are down in the lobby on time."

"Great." Haley said sarcastically.

"Haley…" Peyton sighed.

"What Peyton, I don't even want to go on this stupid date."

"Well that doesn't matter now does it."

"Arghhh!" Haley shouted.

"Look, just make sure you smile and actually look like you are enjoying yourself, okay?"

"Yes Peyton." Haley sing-songed.

"Ok good. I'll speak to you tomorrow and we can gossip about how it went. Have fun!"

"Whatever." Haley hung up the phone and threw it down on the sofa. She couldn't believe that Peyton had arranged this farce. The only person she wanted to be seen in public with was Nathan, and he wasn't even talking to her. And after the way he had just let her walk out of the coffee shop without saying anything, well except for his snide 'have fun in LA' comment, which she knew was just a dig at the fact that she was going on this date, there was no way in hell that she was going to call him first. She looked down at her phone, _was there a way that she might call him? _She picked up her phone and scrolled down to his number, before throwing it back down. She was not going to look that desperate to talk to him, in fact she wasn't that desperate at all, cos she had a date and all he had was a stupid basketball game.

She was knocked out of her totally irrational thoughts of calling him first, by a knock on her door. She walked over and let the make up artist and hair stylist into the suite, before allowing them to work their magic on her.

~*~

It was five to seven and Haley was making her way down to the lobby. She was actually quite nervous, she had never even met this Chase guy, well she had seen his films, obviously, what girl hadn't, and as much as she didn't want to go on this 'date', even she had to admit, he was kind of cute, but still she couldn't seem to get excited about this, all because she was only thinking about Nathan and wondering how he was getting on in the game he had tonight.

She arrived in the lobby and could see the limo parked up at the entrance and saw Chase Adams walking towards her, a huge smile on his face, looking rather dashing in his suit, no where near as hot as Nathan had looked at the gala, but still he did look good.

"Hi Haley!" He greeted her as he pulled her in for a hug.

Haley was a little shocked but played along all the same. "Hi Chase." She replied, hugging him back.

He pulled away from her and looked her up and down. "You look lovely."

"Thank you, so do you."

"You good to go?"

"Yep, sure am."

They made their way out to the limo, chit chatting about nothing in particular; he asked about her music, she asked about his film career and about the film that they were going to be watching tonight.

They pulled up outside the theatre and the driver opened the door for them, Chase stepping out first. Haley could hear the deafening screams and also see the flashes from the press and photographers from inside the limo, which were already blinding her, so God knows what it was going to be like when they were actually walking the carpet.

He held out his hand for her to help her get out of the limo, which she took, well she couldn't leave him standing there looking like a prat could she?! Once she had stepped out, the cameras went mental. She hastily let go of Chase's hand but he seemed to have other ideas, and proceeded to wrap his arm around her waist and started walking them both down the carpet.

Haley felt so uncomfortable, knowing that these pictures would end up all over the place the next day, and of course Nathan would see them. But she tried to relax. Peyton had wanted to quash the rumours about her and Nathan, and maybe if they finally died, Peyton would get off her case and she could… well she didn't know what was going on between her and Nathan, especially at the moment but at least it would stop Peyton shouting and lecturing her about him all the time.

They continued walking up the red carpet; Chase still had his arm locked securely around her waist. The cries from the photographers were so loud; it was hard to hear anything, so Haley just smiled. Chase halted them in front of the main bulk of the photographers and leaned in to Haley to speak to her over the shouting.

"You know at my last premiere, this girl fell down on the carpet, ripped her entire dress, to reveal that she was going commando!"

Haley couldn't help the burst of laughter escaping her from that story. "No way!" Her eyes were wide in shock. She leaned back into him so he could hear what she was saying. "I would die if that happened to me."

"I know!"

Haley smiled and turned her head back to the cameras, letting the press get the shots of them that they wanted.

The walked further along the carpet, where some of the pre-premiere interviews were taking place. Someone called both of them over so Chase diverted them to where the interviewer was standing, poised with her questions.

Haley wasn't really listening to what Chase was being asked, instead finding her mind drifting back to Nathan. It was probably half seven by now which would mean that his game was just beginning. She hoped he was going to play better than he had played during the week when she had caught his game on the TV. She felt Chase grab at her waist and she looked over to him, confused as to why he was pinching her, when she realised the reporter was asking her a question.

"Sorry!" Haley apologised.

"Don't worry, I was just wondering how things are going with your music?" The reporter asked.

"Oh, things are good right now, I'm in the studio a lot recording and writing so, yeah, things are good thank you!"

"Glad to hear it, well you two certainly do make a lovely couple!" The reporter said with a huge grin as she closed the interview.

Haley laughed nervously as Chase walked them into the theatre.

~*~

The coach had just called a time out and the Knicks were huddled on the court, waiting for the coach to speak.

"WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU GUYS?!" He shouted.

The whole team looked to the floor, none of them wanting to say anything to the coach for fear of getting their asses kicked.

The coach looked around at the team, throwing each and every one of his players a look of absolute disgust.

Nathan's heart wasn't in it tonight. He had voices in his head taunting him, _'Haley's on that date, I wonder if she's kissed him yet?' _That kept playing on and on in his head, he couldn't concentrate on anything, he was playing like crap, he knew it, in fact he was surprised the coach hadn't benched him yet.

"Scott, you're playing like shit. Peterson, you too. Now go back out there and win this game."

The team put their hands in the middle and shouted 'win' before taking their places back out on the court.

Nathan tried his hardest to get back in the game and scored some more baskets, which would get the coach off his back. He felt like a zombie though, not really sure what was getting him through the game, cos it sure as hell wasn't his head.

Lucas looked on from the stands and could tell Nathan was suffering. Tonight was of course the big 'date night'. He knew that Nathan was thinking about Haley, getting himself worked up over it, and the problem was that he wasn't the only who noticed that Nathan wasn't playing his best, the coach seemed to notice too. It had been like this at the last game as well. He really needed to get Nathan to talk to Haley, cos he wasn't doing himself any favours by not sorting things out with her.

The game had ended and the Knicks had won, but only just. The coach was giving them hell in the dressing room, but Nathan wasn't listening. He wondered what Haley and pretty boy were up to right now. Whether they were holding hands while they watched the film, whether they were going to go to the after party with each other. Whether she would let him kiss her at the end of the evening. He prayed that she wouldn't let him; he didn't think he would be able to take that.

Coach had finally stopped whinging about the game and had let them go and take their showers and head home for the night. Nathan walked out of the arena to find Lucas waiting for him.

"Well you pretty much sucked!" Lucas greeted him.

"Gee, thanks Luke." Nathan greeted him back.

"So what was going on out there?" Lucas asked, getting straight to the point.

Nathan shrugged. He wasn't about to tell Lucas that he was still thinking about Haley. He wouldn't let Lucas know that he was that pathetic.

"She's on her date now isn't she?" Lucas asked when Nathan remained silent.

Nathan glared at him. "So, what does that have to do with anything?" He bit back.

Lucas laughed. "You didn't talk to her did you?"

"Nope." Nathan said in a small voice.

"Just call her or something please Nate." Lucas nagged.

"Alright, alright, I will okay, just get off my back." Nathan said as he walked towards his car.

Lucas watched him stomp off. He was a stubborn as a mule, but he only hoped for his own sake that he would talk to her. He couldn't wallow in this any longer; he needed to sort it out.

Nathan slammed his hands on the steering wheel. He knew he needed to talk to Haley, to let her know how crazy he was about her, but thinking about her being out with that actor just made his insides crawl. He knew he had too much pride and stubbornness inside of him, which is what prevented him from saying anything to her when she had first told him about this date, and it was the same pride and stubbornness that had prevented him from calling or texting her after she had left the coffee shop. And it was the same pride and stubbornness that was preventing him from talking to her right now. But, he knew that he needed to make the first move, especially after the way he had left things with her. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and decided to bite the bullet, and swallow his pride and text her, hoping that she would reply and put his mind at ease. He would do the talking once she returned from LA.

~*~

Haley stepped out of the party with Chase, ready to call it a night. Also, she was desperate to get back to the hotel to see how Nathan had done in the game tonight and see whether the Knicks had won. There was also a small part of her that hoped he had called her after the game. But she wasn't going back to the hotel room early just to see if Nathan had called, she was tired and she needed to start packing up tomorrow before she headed back to New York. That's what she had told Chase anyway.

Truth be told, she'd had a good time with Chase. He was easy to talk to and made her laugh. But she didn't feel the same way she had felt when she first met Nathan. When Chase had put his arm around her, she didn't feel that jolt of electricity that had run through her body whenever Nathan touched her. She didn't feel like her stomach was filled with butterflies every time he looked at her, like she did with Nathan. But he had been fun and it was just what she had needed after the week she'd had, what with Nathan all but ignoring her.

The limo pulled up outside her hotel and the driver left them in peace for a couple of minutes before opening the door for Haley.

"Thank you for tonight Chase." Haley started, not wanting there to be any awkward moments where he felt the need to kiss her, because she didn't want him to kiss her, the only person she wanted to be kissing was Nathan.

"Thank you for coming Haley, I hope the film didn't bore you too much!"

"Not at all, the film was great, you were great!"

"Thanks!" Chase responded, before that horrid awkward silence descended upon the limo. "So…" Chase started.

Haley looked at him, putting her hands on her knees, trying to put as much of her body in front of her so it made it harder for Chase to lean in.

"I think I might be coming to New York soon, it would be good to catch up then." He said hopefully.

Haley eyed him carefully, not really sure what she was committing to by saying yes, but he seemed nice enough and she had enjoyed herself, and Nathan was giving her the brush off so why the hell not. "Yeah, okay, that sounds like a plan."

"Good, I'll have my manager call yours or something so we can sort it out nearer the time."

"Okay."

He leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek, before helping her out of the limo.

"Goodnight Haley."

"Bye Chase." She said as the driver closed the door.

Haley walked into her suite and kicked off her shoes, which were killing her. She couldn't help the smile that played across her face as she thought back to the phone conversation she had shared with Nathan where he took the piss out of her wearing shoes that hurt her. She shook her head as she walked over to the coffee table and picked up her phone. She had all but given up on Nathan calling her if she was honest with herself. He had a game tonight which would have meant that he was concentrating on that, not on her, if he even was concentrating on her at any time the past week, which given the lack of communication that had occurred between them, she was thinking not. She had no idea what was going on between them, things had been left so open, nothing had been defined, nothing was clear to Haley, and she hated feeling like that.

She scrolled through her missed calls, all were from Peyton, no doubt calling about the pictures she had seen that were going to press in the morning, or to find out how things had gone with Chase, and nothing was from Nathan. _Well there's a surprise! _She thought to herself as she slumped herself on the couch, ready to read the texts she had received, which were also no doubt from Peyton.

She scrolled through her messages, deleting the ones from Peyton; she would just speak to her in the morning, when her heart stopped a beat. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand just to make sure that she wasn't seeing things, for there; in her inbox was a message from Nathan!

She opened it, willing her phone to hurry up; it was too damn slow for her. She took a breath, calming herself down before reading it.

'We need to talk when you get back.'

What the hell was that?! She was infuriated. Here was the first line of communication they'd had since his petty, 'Have fun in LA' comment, and all he could come up with was 'we need to talk when you get back'?! _Damn straight we need to talk. _Haley thought to herself as she threw her phone on the sofa next to her in frustration, stripped her dress off and got into bed, not caring that she was only dressed in her underwear, or that she still had all her make up on. She was too pissed off to care.

~*~

It was five am and Nathan was still tossing and turning in bed, checking his phone every minute to see if she'd responded to his text message. He reached over and took his phone in his hands, knowing that nothing had happened since he'd last checked it, but he needed to make sure. Nothing. He threw himself back against the pillows and ran his hands through his hair. He was officially going insane. She hadn't responded, that must mean that she was fucking that Chase guy. Why else would she not respond? But Haley didn't seem like the sort of girl who would just sleep with someone, but then again, did he really know her well enough to discount that? "God!" He cried out as he got out of bed. If he laid there any longer he was going to start hitting himself, and lord knows what thoughts would be running through his head if he stayed there thinking about her and him a second longer.

He poured himself a coffee, he was going to need all the caffeine he could get to stay awake today after the night he'd just had, and sat down in his kitchen, deciding to go for a run to take his mind off Haley. Then he would have another coffee and read the paper.

He returned from his run an hour later, still not feeling any more settled about Haley, she still hadn't responded to his text. He grabbed the paper from the front of the house and threw it on the table, before having a quick shower and then grabbing his coffee.

He flicked through the sports pages, finding nothing of particular interest to him. He then threw the paper back to the front and started flicking through the news while sipping his coffee. He had just taken the last gulp of his cup when he turned to the celebrity gossip column and spat the coffee out all over the table.

There in front of him was a picture of Haley and the dick. He was leaning into her ear and she was laughing. His hand was wrapped around her waist and her arm was resting on his shoulder. He was touching her. _Why was he touching her?! _He felt like he was going to be sick, his stomach was doing somersaults. Nathan couldn't bring himself to read what blurb was written underneath. He closed the paper and headed into the lounge, flicking on the TV, trying to distract himself. _She fucked him, definitely fucked him._

A few hours later, he pulled up outside Lucas' bar. He needed to get out of his house, he was driving himself mad. He had thrown the paper in the bin on the way out; he didn't need to see that picture ever again, for it was permanently engrained in his memory.

He walked into the bar to find Lucas hunched over the bar looking at something, which once he started flapping around trying to hide it from him, he knew it was the paper. "Relax Luke, I've already seen it." Nathan said dejectedly as he took a seat in front of his brother.

"Seen what?" Lucas asked as he not-so-subtlety threw the paper down on the floor with his elbow.

"The paper, with the picture of Haley and Chase."

"Oh."

"Hmmm." Was all Nathan could say as he fiddled with his hands.

"Did you talk to her?" Lucas asked.

"I text her last night saying I wanted to talk to her when she got back from LA, which she hasn't responded to. That was before I saw that picture."

"And what do you think about it?"

"I honestly don't know Lucas." Nathan sighed. "I mean did you see it?"

"Yeah I saw it."

"As much as it pains me to say it, she looked happy in it."

"Yeah but Nate, it was just some stupid celebrity date. Don't give up on your feelings for her just because of some picture."

"Easy for you to say." Nathan mumbled.

"Come on Nate, I've seen how happy you were before she left, I don't think it's worth not telling her how you feel."

"I know, but what happens if something happened with that guy?"

"Like what?"

"Like what if she slept with him, or what if they are dating now?"

"She wouldn't have slept with him Nate, you can't think that."

"Well why not? She hasn't replied to my text yet."

Lucas laughed. "That doesn't mean she slept with him!"

Nathan ran his hands through his hair. This whole thing with Haley was turning him into a crazy, obsessive freak.

"Just tell her. You'll regret it if you don't Nathan."

~*~

Haley walked through her front door after having arrived back in New York, to hear the phone ringing, so she ran over and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Haley, at last I get through to you!"

"Hey Peyton, yeah sorry about that, I was really busy."

"So…. How did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"The date with Chase?"

"It wasn't a date."

"Whatever, what was he like?"

"Nice."

"Did he kiss you?"

"On the cheek."

"What did you talk about?"

"Stuff!" Haley shouted. "God Peyton, what's with the interrogation?"

"Sorry! I was just asking."

"Well it was fine."

"The pictures were good. You guys looked close."

"Yeah I saw." Haley responded. In fact, she was not happy with those pictures at all. It just so happened that some bitch of a photographer had taken the snap right at that moment where Chase was telling her the story about the girl that had tripped on the red carpet. And, even she had to admit, any rumours about her and Nathan would have definitely stopped after anyone saw the pictures of her and Chase. She didn't even want to know what Nathan must be thinking, he would surely be furious with her, either that or incredibly confused.

Her mobile vibrated just as she was saying her goodbyes to Peyton, and she nearly dropped her phone when she saw that Nathan was asking her to meet up with him.

She responded immediately, saying she was free now if he was, wondering if he had seen those pictures…

~*~

Nathan walked into the coffee shop to find Haley sitting with her back to the window. His heart rate increased just at the sight of her. He took a deep breath, convincing himself that he was doing the right thing and made his way up to her table. "Hey Haley." He said as he took a seat at the table.

"Hi Nathan!" Haley smiled at him. "I got you a coffee."

"Oh, thanks."

Haley looked at him briefly, trying to gauge whether he had seen that picture of her and Chase or not. He was being quiet and wasn't looking directly at her, but that didn't necessarily mean that he had seen it, but it didn't mean that he hadn't.

Nathan was so nervous he couldn't look at her. He knew he needed to tell her how he felt but he couldn't seem to find the words, and everything he thought of saying in his head sounded ridiculous. So instead he said nothing, he would need to think about what to say a little more before he said something that made him sound stupid.

"So you guys won the two games you played!" Haley said, wanting to kill the silence that had fallen on them.

"Yeah, to be honest, we didn't play that well though."

"Oh well, I saw your game on Thursday, you played really well."

"Thanks." He said as he gave her a small smile.

Haley fiddled with her hands; she didn't know what else to say to him. She deduced that from the fact that he wasn't engaging in any conversation with her meant that he had to have seen the pictures and that he wasn't happy about them. She watched as he gulped down his coffee and she did the same. She was convinced that he was going to say that nothing could happen between them, and she didn't want to hear him say things like that. She at least wanted them to be friends.

Nathan was gulping down his coffee so fast; he had finished it before he knew it. He kept taking really deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves. He didn't know what was wrong with him; he was only going to tell Haley that he liked her! But what if she already had something with the actor dude? He didn't think he would be able to stand hearing her say it, even though he knew he was just going to have to suck it up and listen, for he couldn't do anything about it if there was something going on between Haley and Chase.

Haley couldn't stand listening to him breathe so deeply anymore, she needed to get out of here before he started talking about how he couldn't see or speak to her anymore, at least if she got out of here quickly, she could call him later and hopefully the chat between them would go back to how it was before the whole LA thing happened, back to when it was easy for them to talk and flirt with each other. She longed for that easiness more than anything. "Okay, well I think I am going to head off home, I still need to unpack and stuff… so…" She got up and grabbed her bag from the floor.

"Okay." Nathan got up and followed her out of the door.

"I'll call you later okay. Bye Nathan." Haley said as she started to walk away.

She was walking away from him, he needed to stop her, he needed to tell her how he felt. "Haley!" He called out, and before he knew it she had turned around and was walking back up to him, a confused, sad look on her face.

_Nooooo! _She shouted in her head. This was exactly the moment she had been trying to avoid; she didn't want to hear him tell her that he didn't want anything to do with her anymore. She turned around, and walked back up to him, deciding that her best course of action would be to start talking before he could. "Nathan, look, I really want to be friends with you, I think we have something really good going on, and I know things haven't been great between us this past week, but I really do want to be your friend. So what do you say?"

Nathan listened to what she was saying. She wanted to be his friend. _Great. _He thought to himself, convinced now more than ever that something was definitely going on with her and Chase, it had to be if she was spouting all this crap about being friends. He looked at her, seeing the apprehension in her eyes, hoping that his weren't showing the disappointment he felt ripping through him. He wanted to scream and shout at her about Chase, and about the pictures. He wanted to ask her a thousand and one questions about what had happened on her date, but he knew he couldn't, it wasn't his place to ask, she didn't owe him any sort of explanation for her actions, and she was free to do as she pleased. He looked down at her. she was so beautiful, and as much as he knew it would kill him to see her with someone else, he couldn't bare not being around her, as this past week had shown, and if she wanted to be his friend, then he was going to have to find a way to be at peace with himself if she had found happiness elsewhere. "Sure, we can be friends." He said with a small smile. His only saving grace was the fact that he hadn't opened his mouth about wanting to be with her. At least he still had his pride, even if had just given up the only girl that he could ever see himself having a proper relationship with.

**AN – Hey guys, so what do you think of the chapter? I know it probably isn't what any of you wanted to happen but I promise you it all only adds to this story… so please stick with it! I find myself getting so carried away when I'm writing this, it's only when I stop that I realise how long the chapters are! I'm glad you guys don't mind though, and thank you for all the amazing reviews you left me for the previous chapter! Anyway, I hope to update again relatively soon, so let me know what you all thought of this chapter by dropping me a review x**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN – Thank you so much for the reviews of the previous chapter, you guys are all awesome! x**

**Chapter Five**

Haley practically skipped out of the building that she had just been inside of, leaving from a live TV breakfast interview where she had been talking about her music, onto the bustling New York streets. She popped on her Chanel sunglasses and placed herself in the waiting limo, sighing contently to herself. Life during the last couple of weeks had been good for Haley. She was writing and recording a couple of songs that she absolutely loved, which always put her in a good mood, but that wasn't the real reason as to why she had been smiling so much recently. The person responsible for her beaming smile was none other than Nathan Scott. She was becoming obsessed with him, she was sure of it, but they had been talking and texting so much since she had last seen him, and his charming and friendly nature was so infectious, she would question whether any girl would be able to not smile and gush for hours to themselves after reading one of his texts, or hearing his ridiculously sexy voice. She grinned to herself at the thought of it, feeling all giddy inside. She was acting like a five year old who had just been given the biggest slab of chocolate on the planet, and there were very few things that tasted better than chocolate, every girl knew that, but she was one hundred percent sure that Nathan Scott would taste sweeter than even the purest Swiss chocolate.

But thoughts like that could not be had, for Nathan Scott was now untouchable and tainted, ever since she had said the 'friend' word. She was kicking herself constantly for opening her huge mouth. She didn't want to be his friend, she wanted to lay him down, straddle him and ride him til the cows came home, but she couldn't now for they were friends. The texts and calls they had shared since she had said the dreaded 'f' word were still of a flirty nature and Haley knew that was dangerous, but she couldn't help herself, she was like a moth to a flame, and she knew she was next in line to get burnt. She did often ponder how she would cope if Nathan ever found someone else, and the flirty banter that existed between them both ended, she was that enthralled and captivated by him, she would probably have a melt down.

She heard her phone vibrating from the pockets of her Chloé bag and picked it up, seeing she had received another text from Nathan, she grinned to herself as she opened up the message:

'Saw you on TV, you looked good Hales, but you might want to tone down the ego! x'

She opened her mouth in shock; she so did not have an ego! She knew he was teasing her, but decided to play along, well, if it was a reason to hear that sexy voice of his, she was definitely going to take it. She scrolled to his number and hit the call button, relaxing back into the leather seat, bringing her legs up with her.

Nathan looked down at his buzzing phone and smiled as he picked it up, "Hello." He said as he mulled around his kitchen while eating his breakfast.

"Take it back." Haley said seriously.

"Take what back?" Nathan asked, knowing fore well what she meant.

"You know what, don't pretend you don't."

"No I'm serious Hales, you're gonna have to tell me."

She could feel her stomach flipping at the way his new nickname for her fell off his tongue. '_Hales'. _She replayed the way he had just said it in her head, god he was so sexy! She lost herself for a moment, before realising she was pretending to be mad at Nathan. "I do not have an ego." She huffed.

Nathan laughed. "So telling people the new stuff that you're recording is 'amazing', doesn't constitute you having a big ego?"

"Shut up." Haley cried out playfully. "And my new stuff is amazing, so there."

"There goes that ego again, Hales!" Nathan teased. "You know your new stuff had better be good now that you have gone on live TV and told the world how great it is, way to put a load of pressure on yourself!"

"Don't worry, I can handle it."

"I don't doubt that." Nathan said while grinning.

Haley smiled to herself and decided to let it go, so she changed the subject. "So what you up to?" She asked.

"Breakfast."

"What you having?"

"Pancakes."

"Oh I could kill for some pancakes now!"

"Well I've just eaten the last one."

"No fair!"

Nathan chuckled to himself. He had surprised himself at how easy the whole 'friends' thing with Haley was. They were constantly in touch with each other, be it by phone or text and the conversation between them just seemed to flow. He still lusted after her, and he couldn't help the flirtatious tone he had with her but she didn't seem to mind it, and he certainly wasn't going to stop. He knew it would be a totally different story when he finally saw her in person though, they had both been so busy since their last talk at the coffee shop, they hadn't had a chance to meet up.

"So what are you up to later on?" Haley asked.

"Not much, probably just go to Luke's bar and hang out. You?"

"I was going to hang out at mine, pop a DVD in and eat some pizza."

"Mmm sounds good."

"You're welcome to join me if you want." Haley winced, wondering if she should have asked him that. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, cos she did, but the last time they had seen each other, Nathan had been so awkward and quiet with her, she wasn't sure if he would want to hang out with her.

"Oh." Nathan replied, a little shocked at her invitation. "Are you sure you don't mind?" He wanted nothing more than to hang out with Haley, but he wasn't sure if she wanted him around her, especially with the whole Chase thing. He still hadn't talked to her about him and had no idea what was going on between them both, and a big part of him didn't want to know, preferring to live in complete denial that she had ever even met him. But then there was the little part of his brain that wouldn't stop thinking about it, he was curious and wanted to ask questions, but only when the time was right, and right now, he was just enjoying the fact that they were talking to each other. He also knew that if Haley were his, he wouldn't want her hanging out with any other guy, especially for a movie and pizza, alone in her house, so he wanted to double check that she was sure she wanted him over at her place.

"Well I can't guarantee you'll approve of the DVD choice, but yeah of course, we're friends right, and friends hang out together…"

"Yup, friends." Nathan replied. He hated that word vehemently and he hated everything that word represented about his relationship with her. Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, he swiftly changed the subject back. "So what's the matter with your DVD choice?"

"Well if you're into romantic comedies then I can guarantee you'll have a great time, but somehow I don't think you are!"

Nathan laughed. "You got that right! Well how about, I watch one of your films and then you can watch something that I like."

"Sounds fair. Nothing too scary though. I hate horror films."

"Aw, don't worry Hales; I'll protect you from the big bad TV screen!"

Haley giggled. "Shut up!" Somehow, the image of cuddling up to Nathan was rather appealing though, and she found herself hoping he chose something terrifying… "Okay, well come over at like 7ish."

"Will do, see you then, Hales."

"See you later Nathan."

~*~

Haley found herself standing in front of her rails and rails of clothes, which seemed to be a regular occurrence where Nathan was concerned, pondering what to wear tonight. She already had her favourite jeans on and eventually decided to team them with a red scoop neck top. She decided to leave her hair down and moved over to her dressing table and started on her make up. She had just finished putting on her lip gloss when the door bell rang. She looked herself in the mirror one last time, faffing with her hair, before being satisfied that she looked okay and headed downstairs. She actually felt rather nervous, which was strange as she had seen Nathan a couple of times since they had first met, but somehow having him in her house seemed weird, but in a good way.

She opened up the door to find her jaw dropping at the sight of him. She hadn't seen him in about three weeks and it seemed that he had got even more gorgeous in that time. He was dressed in jeans and a navy blue polo which seemed to cling ever so nicely to all his delicious muscles. "Hey!" She said as she stepped aside to allow him room to come inside.

"Hey yourself!" Nathan replied as he walked inside. He couldn't take his eyes off her, she was stunningly beautiful, as always, and he loved the fact that she made a simple top look like it had been created exclusively for her by the world's top designer. He forced his eyes from her to look around the new surroundings. "Nice house."

"Thanks, I'll give you the grand tour later, but right now I am starving so let's order the pizzas!" She said as she closed the door and walked past him, motioning for him to follow her into the kitchen where she kept the take out menus.

Nathan followed her into a humungous kitchen, at least twice the size of his, "Hales, this is huge!"

"I know, I have no idea why I wanted a big kitchen since I'm rarely home to use it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time!" She rooted around in the drawer, trying to find the pizza menu, and when she found it, she handed it to Nathan. "What do you want to drink? I have wine, beer, something stronger?" She asked as she moved over to the fridge, wanting to keep herself moving instead of standing there gawking at how sexy he was.

"Beer would be good." Nathan replied, his eyes following her around the kitchen.

She grabbed a beer and a bottle of white wine from the fridge, handed him the beer and went to the drawer which housed the bottle opener. "You decided what you wanted yet?" She asked with her back to him as she was opening the bottle of wine.

Nathan couldn't stop staring at her, she was running around like a headless chicken, he knew she liked to ramble from the phone calls they had shared but he'd never seen her like this. "Erm, pepperoni?" He asked, not having looked at the menu at all, for his eyes were locked on Haley.

"Yep sounds good. You mind ordering?"

"Sure." Nathan whipped out his mobile and dialled the number on the front and placed the order, his eyes still following Haley around the kitchen as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself a large glass of wine, took a sip, then placed the bottle back in the fridge, picked up her glass of wine and leant against the counter looking back at him and smiling. He loved that smile, she could light a darkened room with it, it was that powerful. He smiled back and hung up his phone once the order was placed and leant against the worktop on the opposite side of the kitchen from her.

"So what DVD did you bring?" Haley asked.

"An old classic, Arachnophobia." Nathan replied, very proud of his DVD choice.

"What the hell is that? I've never heard of it." Haley asked, getting slightly nervous that this would firstly be a horror film and secondly that it would be about spiders, which given the title, was more than likely but she still wanted confirmation.

"It's about spiders."

"Oh no. There is no way I'm watching a film about spiders." Haley said, placing her wine glass on the counter and folding her arms across her chest, trying to look a little more serious so Nathan knew she meant business.

"Well I think you are, seeing as I'm going to be sitting through one of your sappy romantic comedies!" Nathan teased, laughing slightly at how defensive she had become over a film.

"No seriously Nathan, I hate spiders."

"Come on Hales, it's only a film!"

"You have no idea how scared of spiders I am!"

"It's not even scary, it's funny, I promise, the effects are so bad even you will be laughing."

"Well we're watching mine first." Haley said as she grabbed her wine and walked into the lounge, plonking herself on her chocolate brown leather sofa, happy when Nathan sat down next to her instead of taking the spare sofa on the other side of the room.

"So what torture do you have planned for me this evening?" He asked.

"Only the greatest film of all time!"

"Oh we're watching Scarface?" Nathan teased.

"In your dreams!" Haley scoffed as she raised herself up off the sofa and walked over to her stash of DVDs, looking for her favourite film. "A ha!" She said as she found what she had been looking for and walked back over to the sofa, handing Nathan the DVD as she sat back down.

Nathan groaned. "This is your favourite film of all time?" He asked.

"Of course."

"Okay, have you actually watched anything other than this film in your life Hales, cos you can't have if this rubbish is the best you've seen!?"

Haley opened her mouth in shock. "There is nothing better than Notting Hill!"

Nathan scoffed. "I can't believe you are actually making me watch this shit!"

"Well if you want me to watch your stupid spider film, then you're gonna have to watch this!"

"Fine, fine, put it on before I change my mind." Nathan sighed as he handed the DVD back to Haley. He really couldn't believe he was going to watch Notting Hill; she was turning him into an absolute girl. "Just don't ever tell anyone I watched this film with you, okay?"

Haley laughed at him as she placed the DVD in the DVD player and hit play. "I promise you'll love it!"

"I doubt that." Nathan said as he took a swig of his beer, before slumping down on the sofa and stretching his legs out in front of him.

Haley turned off the light and sat back down next to him, placing her legs up on the sofa with her and stretching them out towards Nathan, careful not to touch him. Just having him in her house was turning her into a gushing baby; lord only knew what touching him would do to her!

Nathan glanced at Haley out of the corner of his eye, conscious that her feet were millimetres away from his leg. He longed to reach out and place her feet in his lap, but they were friends, and he wasn't too sure if friends did that sort of thing, so he decided to keep his hands locked together, that way they wouldn't wander to her, it was safer.

They watched the film, pausing only to grab the pizza from the door when it was delivered and to get another beer and glass of wine for Haley. Nathan was secretly enjoying the film, not that he would ever admit that to Haley, but he was enjoying being close to her more. Being around her he found himself craving to be closer to her, wanting to touch her, even just wanting to stare at her beautiful face for hours on end.

"So what did you think?" Haley asked Nathan as the credits started to roll and she had turned the lights back on.

"Honestly…" Nathan begun, "it was crap Hales. Now my film on the other hand will be anything but crap!"

"Oh!" Haley groaned. "I was hoping you would have been so captivated by Notting Hill you would have forgotten about the freaky spider film!"

"No way, now put it in!" Nathan handed her the DVD.

Haley pouted. "Do I have to?!"

Nathan looked at her sticking her bottom lip out and had the urge to bite it. He restrained himself though and placed the DVD in her hands. "Go on, I promise you it's really not that bad."

Reluctantly, Haley put the DVD in the DVD player and pressed play, before placing herself back down on the sofa and crossing her arms.

Nathan looked at her and laughed. "Hales, why are you sitting like that?"

"Cos I don't want to watch this."

"Come on, give it a chance."

"Let me get some more wine first." Haley said as she pressed pause, hoping that more alcohol would mean that she wouldn't be so jumpy and squeamish. "You want another beer?" She asked.

"Nope, better not cos I'm driving."

"Okay." Haley went into the kitchen and grabbed the wine bottle, bringing it back into the lounge with her.

"Go on then, press play!" Nathan said as he nudged her.

Haley scowled at him, but did as he asked, sighing deeply to herself as she took a gulp of wine. _This is not going to be good. _She thought to herself.

Nathan smiled at her, sitting there all huffy with her arms crossed in front of her, clearly not looking like she was going to enjoy the film at all, before devoting his attention to the TV; she was far too cute for her own good!

The film was ridiculous for Haley, full of everything she hated. Gigantic spiders were running around everywhere and she found herself shivering whenever they scurried across the screen. At certain parts of the film she wasn't even watching it, preferring to glance away and trying desperately hard to block out all the sounds coming from the TV.

"Hales, the TV is that way!" Nathan teased as he pointed to the TV.

"I know." Haley replied, still not turning her head.

"Are you not going to watch?"

"Not this bit."

"It's finished now."

"You mean the spiders are not on screen right?"

"Nope, no spiders."

"Okay, but if there are any, I'm going to hit you!" Haley warned.

"No spiders."

Haley turned her head, a low and behold there were still spiders running around on screen. She shuddered before turning to Nathan. "I hate you!" She teased as she slapped him on the arm.

"That's not very nice!"

"You lied to me!"

"So did you!"

"When?!" Haley asked.

"You said Notting Hill was the greatest film of all time!"

"It is the greatest film of all time!"

"This is a hundred times better!"

"Is not, this is crap!"

"It is not crap!"

"Whatever." Haley said as she smiled, enjoying the banter, but still she refused to look at the screen.

Nathan laughed at her. He patted his lap and pulled her legs over it, allowing Haley to lie down on the sofa. "I promise you, it gets better."

Haley watched as he placed his hands on top of her feet and relaxed as he started tracing invisible circles on the top of them. The jolts of electricity started running through her body at his touch, just like they always did. She turned to face the TV, ready to give the film another try. He had sat through Notting Hill to be fair, so she owed him that much. She poured herself the last of the wine from the bottle and took a sip, eyeing Nathan over the top of her wine glass. He really was one of the sexiest, if not the sexiest men she had ever laid eyes on.

Nathan couldn't concentrate on the rest of the film; he was far more interested in her feet. He found himself touching them; his hands apparently had a mind of their own. He wasn't sure how she would react to that, but he could feel her body relax and breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't jerk her feet away from him. He continued to play with her feet for the rest of the film, chuckling to himself when she jumped or shivered at parts of the film, well whenever a spider was on screen, which was pretty often!

The credits finally had started to roll and Haley was too stunned to move.

"Hales, are you okay?!" Nathan asked, laughing at her stance.

"No. I think I'm scarred for life!"

"I'm sorry!" Nathan said, still laughing at her.

"Yeah you sound it!" Haley grumped.

"How much better was that than Notting Hill, huh?"

"Try no way!"

"It was a hundred times better!"

"Was not. And you have no idea how freaked out I got over spiders before, but I seriously think that has increased ten fold now!"

"They're only spiders Hales; they can't do anything to you." Nathan said matter of factly.

"They are horrific and they can kill!" Haley screeched.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Nathan teased.

Haley crossed her arms and glared at him, which caused Nathan to laugh even harder at her.

"Okay, well I think it's about time I headed home, I have practice first thing." Nathan said as he tapped her feet.

"Okay." Haley said as she reluctantly removed her feet from his lap and followed him out of the lounge towards the front door. She really didn't want him to leave, but didn't feel that she could ask him to stay, thinking it would be a little weird if she did.

"I had fun though; we should definitely do a movie night again." Nathan said as he turned to face her when he found himself in front of the front door in the hallway.

"Yeah, no scary films next time though, and I really do mean that!"

Nathan laughed. "Okay I promise no scary films."

"Good." Haley said as she walked up to him to give him a hug. That was allowed surely, friends hugged all the time. She wrapped her arms around him and inhaled his scent, which was absolutely delicious. She rested her head against his chest and breathed in deeply, as his hands wrapped around her waist, finding herself relaxing into him. She felt so safe in his embrace, she never wanted to let go.

Nathan was surprised when she had hugged him but wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to be close to her. He pulled her in tightly, resting his chin on top of her head. She seemed to fit against him perfectly.

After being wrapped up in each other for more than would be appropriate for two friends, Nathan pulled away and smiled down at her, his eyes locking with her beautiful brown ones and reached behind him to open the front door. "Okay, I'll chat to you tomorrow."

"Yep, speak to you tomorrow." Haley said as she lent against the front door, watching him step into his sports car. She watched him speed down her driveway and sighed as she shut the door, wishing he was still with her, wishing he still had his arms wrapped around her, wishing she could still smell him, as she laughed at her little smell fetish, but damn he did smell so sexy.

Haley was more than feeling the effects of the bottle of wine she had drunk and begun to make her way up the stairs to her bed, picking her phone up as she went. She turned on the light to her bedroom and moved over to the windows to draw the curtains, before turning around and spying it on her wall above the door.

She let out a shriek and jumped on her bed, pulling her phone out and dialled Nathan's number, and as soon as she heard the call connect, she shouted out in a panicked voice, "NATHAN!"

Nathan hit the brakes on his car at the shout he heard coming from the phone. "Hales? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" He shouted back at her, his mind racing as to what danger she was in, she sounded so scared.

"Nathan where are you?" She asked, her eyes focussed on the spot above her door.

"Just on my way home, why, what's happened?" He asked, getting panicked.

"I need you to come back to mine now, there's a huge spider in my room."

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. "Shit Hales, you had me worried then, I though you had some crazy stalker in your house or something serious!"

"What do you mean 'something serious'?! This is serious!" Haley shouted.

"Calm down okay, I'm turning around."

"Okay. SHIT ITS MOVING!" She shrieked.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at her. "Is it a big one Hales?"

"It's huge." She said in a scared voice.

"Okay, I'm just pulling in your driveway now, come and let me in."

"NO!" She shouted.

"Hales, how am I going to get in to get the spider if you don't come down and let me in?"

"I can't, we might not know where it went if I come down to let you in. There's a spare key under the flower pot on the left hand side."

"Okay." Nathan said as he shook his head at her girly ways, finding the key exactly where she had said it would be. "Found it."

"HURRY!" She shouted as she ended the call, hearing the front door opening.

"Hales?" Nathan called out as he closed the front door and make his way up the stairs.

"In here!" Haley called out to him.

Nathan followed the voice, hearing it was coming from the room at the end of the hallway. He walked into the room, bursting out laughing at the sight of Haley standing on her bed, pointing at one of the smallest spiders he had ever seen, which was up on the wall. "Hales, you said it was huge!"

"It is huge!"

"Hales, it's only a baby."

"I don't care, kill it."

"I'm not gonna kill it, I'll put it outside or something."

"No kill it! It will come back in otherwise!"

He laughed at her again. "Okay fine, I'll kill it. Have you got something I can hit it with?"

Haley pointed at a magazine she had finished reading the other day which was on the bedside table. Nathan picked it up and killed the spider, grabbing a tissue and placing it in the bin. "Happy now?" He teased as he turned around to face her, still laughing.

"It's your fault."

"What?!"

"You made me watch that stupid film!"

"Okay, I'm sorry I made you watch that film, happy now?"

"No." Haley walked over to the side of the bed where he was standing and plopped herself down on the mattress in front of him.

"Well now that you are safe, I'm gonna go home."

"No!" Haley cried out, not wanting to be alone now. She was absolutely shit scared of spiders and now that she had watched that film, she really didn't want to be thinking that there were more spiders waiting to crawl up her body while she was sleeping, and she knew they were hiding somewhere, she was sure of it. She didn't want to be alone in her house tonight.

"Well Hales, I need to get home."

"Can you stay here please?" Haley pleaded with him. "There might be more spiders." She added with a small voice.

Nathan looked at her, and couldn't help himself, hell she could have asked him to jump off a cliff and he would have done it then and there. "Of course I can."

"Thank you." Haley gave him a small smile and her eyes locked with his. She stared at him, getting lost in his gaze, before snapping herself out of it. "You want another beer then?" She asked as she jumped off the bed and walked back downstairs with Nathan following her.

"Sure."

She handed him a beer and popped herself up on the counter top. "So you think this room is safe from spiders?" She asked as she looked around.

Nathan looked around the room. "I don't see any." He leaned against the counter opposite her.

"Good. I still can't believe that you made me watch that film."

Nathan laughed at her again. "I've never seen anyone get so freaked out over a film! It was cute!"

Haley smiled at him and she locked eyes with him again, as he stopped laughing and grew a little more serious, she found herself getting lost in him, blushing slightly at his admission. "You think I'm cute then?" She asked his coyly.

Nathan didn't know what to say, cute was an understatement, she was hot, sexy, beautiful, stunning, he wanted her like he'd never wanted anyone before, but there was no way in hell that he could tell her that. "You're very cute." He said simply, and then took a swig of his beer, downing what was left in the bottle.

Haley saw that he had finished her beer, so hopped on the counter top and walked upstairs, and he followed her. "You can sleep in that room." She said as she pointed to the bedroom next to hers, and walked towards her room. She was about to close the door when she called out to him. "Nathan."

He looked up at her just as he was making his way into the bedroom, catching an extremely sexy grin on her face.

"I think you're 'very cute' too. Goodnight." She said, then turned and closed her door.

~*~

Haley leant against her closed door, trying to restrain herself. She knew tonight would be interesting in terms of sleeping, knowing that Nathan was the other side of that wall would mean she would be tossing and turning all night, there was probably hardly any point in going to bed. But she needed to try to get some sleep, so she walked into her walk in wardrobe, and pulled out her sheer pale pink babydoll sleepwear and climbed into bed. She couldn't relax, and she found herself wishing that Nathan were with her, tracing imaginary circles not just on her feet, but on the whole of her body. She was tingling even from the thought of his touch, which had been nothing compared to the actual feelings running through her as he had played with her feet while they were watching the film.

She had been laying there for the past hour and had finally decided that sleep was just not coming. She was also craving some water and so decided to sneak downstairs and grab a glass of water and then come back to bed and try to sleep again.

She forced herself to walk past Nathan's room, the temptation to even peek inside was so strong, but she knew she couldn't look. She crept downstairs and turned the kitchen light on, jumping out of her skin when she saw a shirtless Nathan already standing by the sink. "Shit you scared the life out of me!" She said, holding her hand up to her chest, then proceeding to drool over his ridiculously muscled chest, I mean Jesus he had muscles in places she didn't even know you could get them!

Nathan turned around and nearly spat the water he had in his mouth all over the kitchen floor. _What the hell was she wearing?! _He thought to himself, it was the biggest excuse for a piece of material he had ever seen, not that he was complaining, but he could see _a lot! _His eyes wouldn't stop travelling up and down her body, taking in the curves of her breasts, the flatness of her stomach, and then the sorry excuse for knickers she had on underneath, which matched the babydoll extremely well he might add. He found his boxers suddenly feeling a tad constricted as he felt himself grow hard at the sight of her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to." He managed to croak out.

"No worries." She smiled at him, and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet, then stood next to him, leaning over him to turn the tap on and pour some water into her glass, causing her breast to rub against his arm.

God he needed to get himself together. He was acting like a seven year old who had just caught the teenage girl next door sunbathing in a bikini or something. He'd seen enough woman naked in his time to think that he wouldn't be stunned to see a girl wearing some night clothes, but this was Haley James dressed in quite possibly some of the sexiest nightwear he had ever seen. He wanted to pull the straps down and watch it fall of her incredible body, leaving her clad in the knickers only, then kiss her all over, before peeling those knickers off her and throwing her onto the work counter and then fucking her senseless. If he had listened to what his body was saying, he would have done that then and there, but his head was telling him to run upstairs and lock himself in the bedroom. His heart wasn't sure what the hell was going on, which was what was leaving him rooted to the spot.

Haley stepped away from him as she drunk the water she had in her glass. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on between them in that moment, her eyes wouldn't leave his body, her hands wanted to reach out to him and trace those muscles all the way down to his boxers and reach inside of them, she wanted her lips fused against his and she wanted to feel his hands all over her own body. She could feel his eyes on her body; his gaze so hot he was practically burning holes in her. She licked her lips as she placed her glass on the counter.

Nathan's gaze had lifted to her face and he had just watched her lick her lips. He practically groaned out loud at the sight of her licking her lips, dressed in that, leaning against that counter, her hair flowing down past her shoulder, she looked so hot. He found himself trying to listen to his head, telling him to get himself back in that bedroom before he did something she certainly didn't want him to do to her, but he couldn't find the strength to leave her.

Haley watched as he walked over to her, stopping when he was close enough so she could reach out and touch him, and she wanted to, but she managed to cling onto the work counter behind her. Her heart rate had increased just from him being so close to her. She was nervous as to what he was going to do next. She watched as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight Hales." He whispered as he pulled away from her and headed back upstairs. He had no idea where the strength at being able to resist carrying her upstairs with him had come from, but he had found it from somewhere.

Haley found herself being unable to move. She raised her hand to the cheek he had just kissed and placed her hand against it, and she found herself smiling to herself. She shook her head at herself; she was getting it bad, really bad.

~*~

The next morning after having slept for all of five minutes, Nathan pulled on his t-shirt and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where he found Haley dressed in a silk pale pink dressing gown, which matched that babydoll that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about all night. The thought that it was still on her underneath the dressing gown had him growing hard at the thought of it, as images of how she had looked in it last night were running through his mind. He was going to need more than a few cold showers during the next week, he was sure of it.

"Good morning!" Haley greeted him with a warm smile, "I'm making waffles, you want some?"

"Sounds good." Nathan replied as he took a seat on the breakfast bar, watching her with a smile on his face.

She handed him a cup of coffee, offering him a shy smile, and then went back to making the waffles.

They ate the waffles in silence, neither of them knowing quite what to say to each other. Haley's phone started to ring, so she walked over to where she had left it by the fridge, seeing a number she didn't recognise flash across the screen. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi is that Haley?" The male voice said.

"Yes, this is Haley."

"Hi Haley, its Chase!"

"Oh, hi." Haley said, confused as to how he had managed to get her number, she sure as hell didn't remember giving it to him, and also making sure that she didn't say his name, she didn't want to scare Nathan off.

"So how have you been?"

"Good thanks, you?"

"Yeah busy, but good. So listen, I'm going to be in New York during the weekend, I was wondering if you wanted to catch up?"

Haley started to panic, she wanted to get him off the phone as quickly as possible, she didn't want Nathan to know who was calling her, the last time she had mentioned Chase, Nathan had freaked out on her, and she didn't want that happening again. She decided to say yes, and let him know when they met up that she wasn't interested in him. "Sounds good, you want to text me the details later?"

"Okay, sounds good Haley, can't wait to see you."

"Okay, bye." Haley said as she hung up the phone and placed it back down on the counter before walking back to the breakfast bar.

"Who was that?" Nathan asked as he put more waffle in his mouth.

"Just Peyton, she wants to meet up later." Haley replied, knowing she was lying to him, but things between them had been so good lately, and she really felt like she was getting somewhere with him, especially with what happened last night. She didn't want to scare him off and so decided that she would meet up for coffee with Chase at the weekend and let him know that she was interested in someone else. Cos she was interested, very interested in Nathan Scott, she was just going to have to find a way to get past this whole 'friends' thing they were doing, and as yet, she had no idea how she was going to do that.

**AN – So what did you guys think? Hope you all enjoyed it, sorry for the length of the chapter again…! x**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN – I love you guys all so much for taking the time to review the last chapter, I was so pleased with all your comments! You really made my weekend, so to all you guys who have marked this story as a favourite/signed up for alerts/reviewed – thank you! As for Haley not telling Nathan it was Chase on the phone, well most of you guessed right, it sure is going to cause some drama in the next few chapters… (oh and thank you again for not minding about the length of the chapters… I promise I won't mention it again – I think you guys know now that you're going to be reading an essay when you sit down to read a new chapter to this story – and a fair bit is going to happen in this chapter so I'm anticipating it's gonna be long one – so brace yourselves!!) x**

**Chapter Six**

Haley pulled up outside the arena in the blacked out limo, thanked her driver as he opened the door for her, and stepped out into the sea of people, finding herself being literally dragged along with all the basketball fans that were making their way inside, only to hear her phone ring in her bag. She cursed as she rooted around in her bag, trying desperately to keep up with the flow, _why did people always call at the most inappropriate times?_ She thought to herself as she found her phone eventually right at the bottom of itand answered, shouting down her phone to be heard over the crowds and crowds of people that were pushing and shoving, all trying to get to their seats. "HELLO!"

"Jesus Haley where the hell are you?"

"I'm just arriving at Nathan's game." Haley said back down the phone.

"WHAT! I thought you weren't seeing him anymore?!" Peyton shouted at her.

"I told you the last time we spoke about this, you can't tell me who I can and can't see Peyton, and seeing as I'm going out with Chase tomorrow, you can't really say anything about tonight now can you?"

"I didn't know you were going out with Chase!" Peyton said in an excited tone.

"Well you must have known that he was going to call me seeing as I don't remember giving him my number, so I'm presuming that you did?" Haley huffed. She was really not happy about Chase calling her at all, and yet again, another inappropriately timed phone call had been answered by Haley, right when Nathan was sitting all but two feet away from her at breakfast last weekend. She was beginning to think that Chase and Peyton had some kind of radar on her, for whenever she was near Nathan one of them would call to ruin a moment or just rile her up!

"Well, you sounded like you had a good time with him in LA so I thought it wouldn't hurt for him to have your number." Peyton reasoned.

"Well you shouldn't have done that Peyton; I didn't want him to have it. And for your information, I didn't have a 'good time' with him in LA at all, it was fine that's all, just fine, and I don't particularly want to see him again."

"Well he told me you agreed to see him again!"

"Just because I said yes, does not mean that I _want _to do it at all Peyton, I was being polite." Truth be told, Haley was having such a good time with Nathan recently, she really didn't want to jeopardise what had been developing between them by going out with Chase. But the phone call had come from Chase at such an awkward time, she just wanted him off the phone, and saying yes to him seemed like the easiest and quickest way to do just that.

"Okay fine, I'm sorry for giving him your number Haley. But I am pleased you're going out with him again, just give him a chance okay, he's so much better for you than Nathan Scott. So where are you going?"

"I already told you, I'm going to watch Nathan's game."

"No I meant with Chase, I couldn't care less about Nathan Scott."

"I have no idea where he's taking me Peyton." Haley sighed, hating the fact that Peyton was so against anything happening between her and Nathan. Not that she was sure anything would happen, especially if he ever found out about tomorrow night, which given the way the paparazzi worked, he no doubt would. But she was hopeful nonetheless, especially after he had kissed her on the cheek when he had stayed at her house, she was still gushing like a teenager over that!

"Okay, well have fun with Chase tomorrow, and don't get caught out with the papers again tonight Haley, I mean it, be careful."

"Alright, I will be."

"Good, I'll call you Sunday."

"Okay bye Peyton." Haley hung up her phone and placed it back in her bag as she got carried along the hallways of the arena by the current of people. She made her way to her seat which again was courtside as Nathan had managed to grab a spare ticket off one of his teammates. She was so excited to see him again, they had already made plans to meet up after the game, she was going to wait for him after it had finished and then they were going to go to his brother's bar afterwards. She couldn't wait to watch him show off his basketball skills, and hopefully some other physical skills later on tonight, _well a girl can dream!_

~*~

Nathan's game had just ended, and Haley had thoroughly enjoyed herself yet again, she was actually starting to like basketball quite a lot and was becoming quite the Knicks fan. She was also starting to understand the rules a little bit, and now knew when to boo and when to cheer at decisions made by the referee. Nathan had played amazingly also, throwing her a wink or two every now and again during the game which made her insides churn. He was so god damn sexy on that court, he really took charge of the team and the ball, Haley found her self fantasizing about how in charge he would no doubt be in the bedroom, she found nothing sexier than a man who knew what they wanted, especially when it came to sex.

She waited patiently for him while he took a shower and had the usual team meeting after the game, and twenty minutes later, he made his way back over to her.

"Good game superstar!" Haley said as she opened her arms wide so that she could hug him, any opportunity to be close to him was to be grabbed with both hands!

"Thank you so much pop princess!" Nathan replied, as he hugged her tightly, inhaling her intoxicating scent as he rested his head on top of hers for a second, not really ever wanting to let her go.

Haley pulled away and screwed her face up. "Please don't call me that!"

Nathan laughed. "So you enjoyed the game?"

"Yeah I did it was fun, I still don't get all of the rules but I seem to be picking up on a few of them now, I think you are going to have to teach me the rest!"

"Sure, anytime!" Nathan answered with a smile. "You ready to head off then?"

"Yep, just let me grab my bag." Haley said as she turned away from him and bent over to pick up her handbag which was still underneath her seat.

Nathan couldn't help but stare at her behind as she bent over to pick up her handbag, which caused her jeans to slip down a little and he stifled a groan as he got a sneaky glance at the baby blue lace underwear she was wearing. _Damn she was hot!_

Haley turned back around to find him looking at her with a rather strange look on his face. "What?" She asked him, wondering if she had something stuck to her backside or something?

Nathan was jolted out of his staring, finding himself stumbling on his words, but he managed to recover quickly though, "Oh… erm… nothing, you ready now?"

"Yep." Haley gave him a strange look as she double checked her backside and finding nothing there. She really would never understand men; sometimes they could be so weird! She shook her head to herself as she followed Nathan out of the arena to his waiting car.

~*~

The car pulled up outside the back entrance and Nathan got out first, offering Haley his hand to help her out of the car, and once she was on her feet, he intertwined their fingers together and led her into the heaving bar.

"God it's busy!" Haley said as she leaned into Nathan so that he could hear her over the crowds.

"I know, where do you want to sit?" He asked while they both looked around trying to find some empty seats.

"How about over there?" Haley asked as she pointed to a corner where a table was free.

"Okay, good spot!" Nathan started to walk them over to the table and he placed her in the corner, "Glass of white?" He asked, still holding onto her hand, staring into her beautiful brown eyes, before allowing his gaze to travel down her teal coloured strappy top and her sexy jeans.

"Yes please." Haley smiled at him, blushing as she noticed his gaze travel down her body.

Nathan begrudgingly let go of Haley's hand and made his way over to the packed bar to get the drinks.

Haley watched him leave her, her hand still tingling from his touch. She giggled to herself as she held the hand Nathan had just been holding with her other hand, wondering if she would ever get over that sensation whenever he touched her. She could only imagine what her body would be feeling like if he touched her in other places too, she was one hundred percent sure it would be some sort of out of body experience at the very least! Haley let her mind wander until she was shaken out of her guttery thoughts by a brunette who had decided to sit herself next to Haley.

"Oh my god… you're Haley James!" Came a voice to the right hand side of Haley.

Haley turned to find a brunette girl sitting next to her with the biggest dimples she had ever seen. "Yes I am Haley James." Haley said back to the girl.

"And you're here with Nathan!" She shouted out.

Haley's eyes grew wide, wondering what the hell to say back to the girl at her insinuation. "Erm, yeah we're friends." Came Haley's unsure reply.

The girl threw her hand up to her face in shock, as if she had suddenly realised something. "No way!" She gasped. "How long have you known him?"

Haley just looked at the girl like she was crazy. She certainly had a crazy look on her face, that was for sure. Haley decided that she didn't want to answer, not knowing who the hell she might be, so she stayed quiet, trying to figure out who this girl was and what the hell this girl wanted from her.

"Oh don't worry; I'm not some undercover reporter or anything, although that would be such a cool job." She pondered to herself, before shaking herself from her thoughts. "Anyway, my name is Brooke Davis, I'm Lucas' girlfriend, Lucas Scott that is, brother to none other than Nathan Scott!"

"Oh right!" Haley said, Nathan had said something about his brother's girlfriend to her she remembered. Still though, this girl could be anybody, so it was probably safest to keep quiet and not say anything too revealing until Nathan came back and actually confirmed that this Brooke Davis was indeed his brother's girlfriend.

Nathan grabbed Lucas as he walked from one end of the bar to the other, giving him a bump with his fist as he passed, "Bro, large glass of white wine and a beer please." That was the best thing about having a brother who owned a bar, no matter how busy it was, you were guaranteed to get served drinks as quickly as possible.

"Coming up, nice game by the way." Lucas responded as he grabbed a beer and the wine from the fridge, handed Nathan the beer before pulling two wine glasses down from the top of the bar and poured the wine into them.

"Er, Luke, I only asked for one glass of wine…"

"I know, this one is from Brooke."

"What the hell, she's here? Where?"

Lucas smiled as he handed the two glasses back to Nathan. "She's talking to Haley."

Nathan whipped around and sure enough, there sitting next to Haley was Brooke. "Shit. How long has she been there?" Nathan groaned.

"Ever since you got to the bar."

"Why didn't you warn me?!" Nathan cried out.

"What's there to warn about?"

"She's probably told Haley a load of crap about me." Nathan groaned. "I'd better go and save her… and myself! Thanks for the drinks." Nathan walked as quickly as possible back to the table, really not wanting to know what Brooke had been talking about for the past couple of minutes, no doubt she had probably ruined any chance he had with Haley the second she opened her mouth.

"You are so much prettier than the usual hoes Nathan hangs around with." Brooke complimented Haley.

_Oh fuck! _"Okay, enough chatting Brooke, you can shut up right about now." Nathan said quickly as he handed a glass of wine to Haley and a glass of wine to Brooke, giving her a fake smile and a warning glare as he placed himself next to Haley.

"Well she is pretty!" Brooke said.

Haley just giggled, it was clear that there was some sort of dislike flowing between Brooke and Nathan, Haley was used to that though, it was kind of like her relationship with most of her family, that's what growing up with a load of brothers and sisters did to you.

Nathan turned to Haley. "Haley I take it you have met Brooke, Luke's girlfriend."

"Yeah she introduced herself." Haley smiled over at Brooke.

"So how long have you two been dating? I mean, we all saw that picture in the magazine but something happened before that right? There's always some sort of sneaking around before the big reveal!" Brooke chatted on.

Haley could feel herself going bright red.

Nathan decided to step in to avoid Brooke saying anymore to embarrass not only herself but he and Haley also. "Er, Brooke, we're not dating, we're just friends."

"Oh." Brooke said with a confused tone.

Haley smiled at her before throwing a small smile at Nathan.

Nathan just shook his head at Brooke. "I'll be right back." Nathan said quietly while leaning into Haley, before walking back over to the bar, grabbing Lucas. "You have to come and save me from your girlfriend!" He said to his brother.

"Why what's she done?"

"She's embarrassing everybody!" Nathan said as he dragged Luke over to the table with him, not caring if he had work to do, he needed saving from Brooke's big mouth and that was far more important that pouring drinks.

Lucas allowed himself to be dragged over to the table where Brooke and Haley were seated. He sat down next to Brooke, placing a kiss on her cheek as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Hey honey."

"Hey babe." Brooke replied, giving him a light peck on the lips in response to his welcome for her.

"I don't believe we've met, I'm Lucas." Lucas directed this at Haley.

"Hi Lucas, I'm Haley." Haley responded.

Lucas and Nathan proceeded to talk about his basketball game so Haley decided to sit back and listen while drinking her glass of wine.

Brooke scoffed to herself as the boys started talking about sports and turned her direction back to Haley. "So there's seriously nothing going on between you two?" She said in a quiet voice so Nathan couldn't scold her for talking again.

"Nope, we're friends!" Haley replied.

"Well between you and me, Luke said Nathan met someone he likes and that Nathan's been pinning over this girl that he met about a month ago, and from the way I saw him looking at you earlier, I'm guessing that girl is you!"

Haley could feel herself blushing. She had been exactly the same way about Nathan, he was constantly in his thoughts and yeah, she guessed she had been pinning over him too in a way.

"I've never seen him this into a girl before, it's so exciting!"

Haley just laughed.

Nathan turned to Brooke as he heard Haley laugh. "What the hell are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing!" Brooke said as innocently as she could.

Nathan glared at her before turning his attention to Haley, hoping that she would shed some light on what had made her laugh.

"We're just talking about girly stuff!" Haley replied, giving Brooke a wink.

"That's what worries me!" Nathan sighed.

Brooke had instantly decided that she liked Haley, and now seeing Haley help her wind Nathan up, she liked her even more. "Come on, Haley, let's leave these boys to discuss their precious game and go and dance!" Brooke grabbed Haley's hand before she even had the chance to say no and dragged her onto the dance floor.

Nathan shook his head. "She's a handful bro, I have no idea how you put up with her!" He said to Lucas as his eyes followed Haley who was being marched onto the dance floor with Brooke.

"I love her… what can I say!" Lucas responded. "So things are going well between you and Haley then?"

Nathan knew Luke had just asked him a question, but he couldn't process what he had just said to him for his eyes were transfixed on Haley, watching her hips sway to the music. She was almost too sexy for him to handle when she stood still, but watching the way she moved to the music was hypnotising.

Lucas waited patiently for an answer from Nathan but could see he was distracted by something, he was practically drooling! Lucas turned around to follow Nathan's gaze and just like he had suspected, Nathan's eyes were rooted on Haley. Lucas chucked at Nathan as he stood up and patted Nathan on the shoulder, getting his attention. "You've got it bad, bro." Lucas then walked away from Nathan to get on with serving people drinks.

After a couple of songs, Haley had decided that she'd had enough of dancing and walked back over to where Nathan was sitting, taking her wine glass which was on the table to the side of him and proceeded to take a large gulp.

Nathan couldn't bear her just standing there in front of him, not after he had just been watching her dancing so sexily, he needed to feel her against him, so he decided to take a chance and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down onto his lap.

Haley shrieked at his sudden movement but instantly relaxed when she felt his arms tighten around her, locking her in. She turned around to face him, seeing a sexy smirk on his face which had her wanting to lean right in a kiss him senseless, she was sure he had lured a heap of girls into bed with that smirk, it was so god damn irresistible!

"So what was Brooke talking to you about, huh?" He asked.

"Nothing!" Haley said coyly.

"That look you have on your face right now does not say you were talking about nothing missy!"

Haley giggled. "Well, maybe it wasn't nothing but I'm not going to tell you!" Haley said as she nudged him in the chest with her finger, then allowed her hand to rest on his chest, which _oh my god _felt amazing! She wanted to start running her hand up and down, tracing those muscles she knew he had underneath his shirt, but she didn't. She looked up at him slowly, catching his amazing blue eyes staring intently into hers.

He leaned into her and whispered in her ear. "Come on Hales, I promise I can keep a secret." He hovered by her ear for longer than would be appropriate, breathing heavily from being this close to her, he longed to run a trail of kisses from under her ear, along her neck and up towards her mouth, he was hungry for her, he wanted to taste her, knowing that she would taste better than anything he had ever tasted before in his life.

Haley could feel his breath on her neck, he was making her shiver from having him so close to her, she wanted to turn around and find his lips and take him in a frantic kiss before ordering him to take her home and have his wicked way with her. She never knew she could be so turned on from a whisper, but that was what Nathan Scott did to her.

She managed to restrain herself as she slowly turned around to face him properly, staring back into his gorgeous blue eyes. "You really want to know what she said to me?"

"Yes." Came his husky reply that sent shivers right through Haley's body.

Haley looked away from him shyly, deciding it was more safe for her to stare at his lips rather than his eyes, she was literally drowning in him. "She said you liked me."

Haley watched as his lips turned into a smile and found herself doing the same.

Nathan raised his hand to her chin and gently lifted her head so she was looking in his eyes again. He locked his gaze with her for a second, before running a finger down towards the back of her neck where he held his hand there. "You know.."

"Sorry guys, can I get my glass?" Brooke said as she leaned in behind Nathan and Haley and reached over to where her glass was sitting on the opposite side of the table. _Friends my ass! _Thought Brooke as she took a sip of her wine.

Haley jumped off Nathan at the shock of being interrupted and at what was happening between her and Nathan, or at what could have happened if they had been left for a few more seconds and placed herself on one of the empty chairs beside Brooke, sure that she was now turning into the colour of an extremely ripe cherry.

Nathan was cursing to himself, literally all the names under the sun were being thrown at Brooke subconsciously. Why was it that every time he felt himself getting somewhere with Haley, someone had to go and ruin it?!

Haley sat in the chair, chewing her lip and playing with her hair. She didn't know what the hell she was doing, here she was literally begging for Nathan to kiss her, touch her, carry her home with him, when the very next day she was going out with Chase. There is no way she could tell Nathan about Chase now, not after she had known about it for nearly a week now, and if something had happened between her and Nathan tonight, how bad would she have looked on Sunday when the newspapers had pictures of her and Chase all over them again?! Even though she was only going out with Chase to tell him she wasn't interested, she had a feeling that Nathan would jump to conclusions, and probably rightly so, and she felt as guilty as hell about it.

She needed to clear her head so she walked over to the bar to find Lucas smiling at her. "Can I get a glass of water please?"

"Sure Haley." Lucas said as he grabbed a bottle of still water from the fridge before leaning in so he could talk quietly with her. "I'm so glad you and Nathan found each other, he really likes you, you know. I just hope he doesn't do anything to screw this up, just be patient with him please, he's not had much experience with a girl like you, a girl that clearly means something to him, and I know how much you mean to him already."

Haley smiled weakly at Lucas, his words feeling like a punch to the stomach. Nathan had been nothing but wonderful to her, and here she was, jeopardising everything they shared and were starting to build. She knew she should tell him about Chase, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, thinking it would cause too much aggravation that she didn't want to deal with right now; she just prayed that Chase had the sense and decency to take them somewhere discreet tomorrow, that way, hopefully, Nathan would never find out.

Haley found herself suddenly feeling extremely tired. She walked back over to Nathan. "I think I'm going to head off home, I feel really sleepy!"

"Okay, let me take you home."

"No it's fine Nathan, I'll call a car, you stay and enjoy yourself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure." Haley smiled at him.

"Okay well give me a call to let me know you're home safe." Nathan said as he took her in a hug.

Haley hugged him back weakly, offering him a small smile as she pulled away and left.

Nathan didn't have a clue what had come over her, she seemed fine one second and then all of a sudden she switched and went all quiet and disconnected from him. Well who ever said that women were complicated certainly got that right! He was worried about her though, wondering what had happened this time, as he slumped back down in his chair. She always seemed to be running away from him. He was going to have to talk to her soon and tell her how he really felt about her, keeping it bottled in was driving him insane.

~*~

The next night, Haley sat in front of her dresser putting on her trusted lip gloss. She resented the fact that she was even bothering with her make up, she really didn't want to go out with Chase tonight, but she knew she needed to; she needed to tell him that she wasn't interested in anything happening with him so that things could move forward with Nathan. Haley had sent Nathan a text last night letting him know that she had got home safely and he hadn't responded to her, not that she blamed him, she had given him the hot and cold treatment last night, sending out completely mixed signals all because she was feeling guilty about this whole Chase thing. Well at least she was going to sort out this whole mess tonight.

She had text Chase earlier in the day, asking where he was taking her, to which he responded with, 'it's a surprise'. Haley hated surprises from people who hardly knew you. She sighed as she put on her black stilettos which matched her black wrap around dress she had on and grabbed her purse, making her way downstairs, more than ready to get this night over and done with.

She opened up her front door to find a limo parked outside her gates. _Here goes nothing. _Haley thought to herself as she walked through the gates of her house to the limo, climbing in the door the driver had opened for her. She felt nothing but sick to the stomach when she thought of going out with Chase, which was so different to the butterflies she felt whenever she was around Nathan, it just another reason to add to the long list of why she knew she liked Nathan so much.

Chase was dressed in a shirt and black trousers, and greeted Haley with a kiss on the cheek as she sat down in the limo.

"So where are we off to then?" Haley asked, eager to get the evening over and done with as quickly as possible.

"I've booked that new Thai Fusion restaurant in town, I hope you like Thai food?" Chase asked.

_Shit. _That was the brand new restaurant opened by some actor or something, which meant the place would be hounded with paparazzi, which was exactly what Haley didn't want happening tonight. She just nodded her head and smiled, willing for the ground to open up and swallow her. She really didn't want the morning to come; the morning would mean having to explain to Nathan why she had been out to dinner with Chase and why she hadn't told him about it.

The limo pulled up right outside the front of the restaurant, and Haley groaned at the sight. There were probably more photographers outside the front of this restaurant than there had been at that stupid premiere in LA! Haley was already starting to get pissed off at Chase and they hadn't even left the limo yet. _What a son of a bitch he was for choosing the hottest restaurant in town. _Haley knew she should be grateful that she was being taken to what she was sure would be a very nice restaurant, but all she wanted to do was shrivel up in a ball and hide. "Is there not a back entrance we can use?" Haley asked Chase.

"Why would we need to use the back entrance?"

"Because of all the photographers!"

"What's wrong with a few photographers?"

"There's practically an army of them outside and I don't particularly want my picture being taken this evening!"

"Well we are celebrities, and people pay good money to see our pictures in magazines, it comes with the territory Haley, I don't see anything wrong with it."

_Well you aren't trying to start a relationship with a sexy basketball player who will freak out when they see pictures of me out with you! _Haley thought to herself. _God he was an ass. _Haley wanted to kick him out then and there, but decided that would bring even more unwanted attention her way. She was just going to have to run inside so that the press wouldn't be able to get a picture of them together.

And she did just that. The driver opened the door and Haley walked so fast inside, Chase hadn't even stepped out of the car by the time she had shut the door to the restaurant. Haley rolled her eyes as she watched Chase pose for pictures, all she wanted him to do was hurry up so they could eat and then she could go home.

They ate their dinner like to acquaintances would, talking about nothing personal, which was exactly how Haley wanted the conversation to flow between them. There was no way in hell she would be divulging anything private about herself to him. Haley was utterly bored with him, deciding that she was going to drink a fair bit to help her through the stupid dinner. At least the alcohol would keep her amused.

Haley breathed a sigh of relief when Chase had finally paid for the damn dinner, now it was her chance to escape. "Okay, well thank you for tonight Chase; it was good to catch up."

"Oh, tonight isn't over yet, I thought we could check out a club."

"Well, I'm pretty tired but thanks for the invitation…"

"No, I insist, it's Sunday tomorrow anyway, you can lie in."

"But I really am tired, perhaps I should go home."

"Haley, come on, you're only young once…"

His voice was giving her a flipping headache. She needed him to shut up and at least in a club it would be too loud for him to talk to her all the time. She could go for a couple of drinks and then say her goodbyes to him, there wouldn't be any harm in that surely. "Okay fine, where were you thinking of going?"

"I know just the place!" Chase said with a smile as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the restaurant before she could change her mind again.

~*~

Chase had left Haley in the back corner of the dance floor while he went and got them both a drink. Haley had been to this club before; it was a pretty cool place, again very popular with the celebrity folk. She looked around, recognising a few familiar faces.

Chase walked back over to her, with her vodka and coke in his hand. She decided she needed something stronger than wine if she was going to endure anymore of his company, she would have opted for straight vodka but decided to be a little more ladylike, so she added the Coke to it.

They both stood next to each other drinking their drinks when Chase turned to her. "You want to dance?"

"Erm, I'm okay thanks Chase." Haley replied, sending a small smile his way, just wanting to finish her drink and say her goodbyes.

"God, Haley, come on, loosen up, it's just a dance." Chase said as he grabbed her glass and placed it on the table together with his and pulled her into his arms and started dancing with her.

Haley decided to go with and moved her body along with the beat of the music. She could feel Chase's hands on her back, running up and down the length of it, she started to wonder what the hell he was doing, and when she felt his hand run over her ass, she pulled away slightly. "Chase don't do that." She told him sternly, hoping he got the message.

He smirked at her as he pulled her back into his embrace and not five seconds later had both his hands on her backside. Haley started to feel one of his hands slide down her thigh to the hem of her dress and she started to get nervous. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a shove backwards, putting some space between them. "Come on Chase, please don't do that!" Haley laughed nervously.

Chase walked back up to her and slid a hand around her neck. "Do what?" He said in what she was sure was supposed to be a sexy voice, but it sounded creepy and putrid.

Haley's heart rate started to increase slightly. She raised her arm behind her neck and grabbed Chase's hand and detached it from her neck before dropping it and running away from him. He was really disturbing her with his behaviour, she just wanted to get out of there.

She tried to get to the toilets but he had managed to catch up with her and grabbed her wrist and flung her against the nearest wall, which unluckily for Haley was in a dark corner of the club. He grabbed her other hand in the process of pushing her against it and pinned her to the wall.

"Why are you running away from me Haley, I wasn't going to do anything!"

Haley's breathing was getting faster by the minute, her chest rising and falling so fast she was sure she was going to pass out. He raised her hands higher and pinned them above her head with one of his hands attached over both her wrists, leaving him one free hand.

"What did you think I was going to do to you?" He asked, tracing a finger down her cheek, over her chin, down her neck towards her breasts.

Haley closed her eyes, wishing herself to be anywhere but here, she was really scared but she didn't want him to know that. She took a deep breath. "Nothing, but I really need to go to the ladies, so can you let go of me please." She managed to choke out.

He had started tracing the outline of her cleavage which was showing above the material of her dress. "Come on Haley, you know you want me as much as I want you."

Her breathing was now so fast and her heart was beating so quickly she thought it was going to explode. Her head was spinning and she didn't know what the hell to do. There was no point in screaming as no one would hear her over the music. She looked down at her stilettos and raised her foot before stomping down on his as hard as she could.

"FUCK!" He cried out as he let go of her to inspect his foot which was now in incredible pain.

Haley ran all the way into the toilets, not stopping to breathe until she had locked the cubicle door behind her. Her hands were shaking as she tried to open her bag, eventually getting the zip undone, and then searched around for her phone. She pulled it out of the bag and immediately scrolled to his number, praying that he would pick up.

"Hi Haley! Wait don't tell me, you found another spider?!"

"Nathan…" Haley said in a shaky voice.

Nathan immediately stood up from his sofa, knowing that something was wrong, and definitely not of the spider variety. "Hales what happened?" He tried to say calmly but it didn't come out like that at all, he sounded just as panicked as she did.

Haley couldn't stop her whole body from shaking. "I'm… erm… I'm at Area and this guy had his hands all over me, I told him to stop but he wouldn't, then he grabbed me and had me up against a wall…." She managed to get out.

"Hales, go outside and wait for me around the corner on the left hand side of the club, I'll be there in five minutes okay?" Nathan interrupted her, not needing to hear any more of the story, he just needed to pick her up and make sure she was okay.

Haley nodded her head.

"Haley, did you hear me?" Nathan shouted down the phone as he grabbed his keys and made his way over to his Aston Martin.

"Yes." Haley answered as she closed her eyes, leaning against the walls of the cubicle.

"I'll be there in five." Nathan said as he hung up the phone and jumped in his car.

Haley put her phone back in her bag and took a deep breath. She wanted to get out of this club as quickly as possible, so she walked over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face, not caring about her make up at this point.

She leaned against the sink, taking some deep breaths for a second, composing herself. She decided to take off her shoes as they were killing her feet. When she felt ready, she pulled her bag on her shoulder and walked out of the toilets, not at all surprised to find Chase waiting for her. She glared at him as she ran out of the club, turned the corner and waited on the left hand side for Nathan to arrive.

She leant against the wall, not believing what had just happened to her. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around quickly, seeing Chase standing in front of her. "Look Chase. Someone is coming to pick me up. I'm really not in the mood for any more of your shit. I swear if you come any closer I'll scream my head off."

Chase held up his hands as if to say he didn't want to touch her and walked closer to her.

Haley knew she should be screaming, but somehow, he didn't seem so threatening to her outside of the darkened club.

He walked closer to her; he was now standing right in front of her and ran a hand down her cheek.

Haley tried to scream but nothing was coming out of her mouth, instead her breathing increased ten fold again. She watched as he placed his arms either side of her, effectively trapping her in. She started biting on her lip, her mind numb and not thinking about anything other than the need for Nathan to get here right now, and she watched as he leant into her, looking like he was going to kiss her. Suddenly Haley felt herself comprehend what he was about to do to her, and she punched him in the stomach and tried to duck away from him, but he was too quick for her and moved his hand down to the level she was ducking at and stopped her.

Haley felt her heart rate increase again. He grabbed her head, pulled her back up and pressed his body into hers so she couldn't move at all. She wanted to cry but there was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction, she was going to be strong and not let him get to her. She winced as she felt his entire body pressed against hers but was knocked from her thoughts of what Chase was doing to her from the sounds of a car coming screeching to a halt and a car door slamming shut.

"Get your fucking hands off her."

Haley breathed a sigh of relief as she head Nathan's voice.

Chase turned his head around to find Nathan Scott standing behind him.

"Did you not hear me? I said get your fucking hands off her." Nathan shouted as he ran over towards them both.

"Oh I heard you alright; I'm just wondering what the hell you are doing here." Chase threw back at Nathan. "This is none of your business."

Nathan laughed. "You see that's where you're wrong." He walked up to Chase and punched him square on the jaw, causing him to fall onto the ground. Nathan instantly turned to Haley, taking her from the wall she was stood up against and took her in a tight embrace.

Haley hugged Nathan back, holding onto him for dear life. She had never been so scared about anything, nothing like that had ever happened to her before, she was still breathing so quickly from the shock of it all.

Nathan pulled away from her. "Did he hurt you?" He asked her, looking deeply into her eyes, searching for unspoken answers and also letting her know that she could tell him the truth.

Haley bit her lip and shook her head.

"You sure?" He asked, wanting to double check.

Haley nodded her head.

"Right, you go and wait in the car okay?" Nathan told her as he ran a hand through his hair.

Haley walked to Nathan's car and got in the passenger side, still shaking.

Nathan waited until Haley had shut the door to his car, before walking over to Chase who had since stood back up. His lip was bleeding but Nathan knew that wasn't even half of what he deserved. "You don't ever call her or see her again, do you hear me? Nathan shouted at him, pulling him up so they were face to face, holding onto Chase's shirt with his fists. "You're nothing but a worthless piece of shit. And I swear to God, if you laid a fucking finger on her, I'll come back and find you, and next time you won't be able to stand after I'm through with you, do you understand?"

Chase nodded to let Nathan know that he understood what he was saying to him.

Nathan felt like punching him again but he knew if he started punching him now he wouldn't be able to stop, so instead he pushed him back against the wall as hard as he could, before turning around and walking back to his car, taking Haley back to his house.

~*~

Haley hadn't said anything the entire car ride journey back to Nathan's and that was worrying him. He pulled up outside his house, turned off the ignition and turned to face her. "Hales..."

"I don't want to talk about it yet Nathan." Haley said, still not looking at him. Her mind was still in shock, not processing anything at the moment.

"Okay, well let's go inside then, I'm not letting you stay alone tonight okay, you're gonna stay with me."

Haley nodded her head, got out of the car and headed towards the front door.

Nathan led her inside to the kitchen and sat her down at his breakfast bar. He poured her a glass of water and placed it down next to her, looking intently at her, scanning her face for any hint of what had actually happened inside the club, hoping that she would talk to him when she was ready.

Haley just stared at the water, not even sure what she was thinking about, for a thousand and one imagines were flashing through her mind, her and Nathan, Chase, Nathan, herself, her and Nathan again, Chase leaning into her... She still couldn't get her head around what had happened tonight and found herself feeling incredibly guilty about the Chase thing, especially when Nathan had come to effectively save her tonight. "I'm sorry." She said in a small voice.

"Hales, why are you sorry?" Nathan asked as he leaned over the breakfast bar opposite her, taking her hands in his.

"I should have told you that I was seeing Chase. He asked me to catch up with him while we were in LA, and I told him I would see him when he was in New York, which happened to be tonight. I know you're probably mad at me."

"Haley, I am not mad at you. I'm just worried about you. Are you sure he didn't hurt you."

Haley shook her head. "He didn't hurt me. He just scared me that's all." Haley played with her hands, bit her lip and closed her eyes; she was trying to block everything out of her head. She felt Nathan move around the breakfast bar and take her in a hug.

"Hales, you don't have to be scared now, you're safe. I won't let him get anywhere near you again okay?"

Haley nodded and let him hug her, feeling slightly better now she was in Nathan's arms.

~*~

Nathan had since left Haley in one of his spare rooms, giving her one of his old Knicks t-shirts to wear so that she could try and get some sleep, letting her know that he was just along the hallway if she needed him. He made his way further down the hallway to his own room, and sat down on the end of his bed, releasing a long breath. He held his head in his hands, trying to slow his mind down.

He had no idea why Haley hadn't told him about Chase; why she felt the need to lie about it, or even go out with him in the first place. It was like the whole LA thing was happening all over again, which had ended with her telling him that she just wanted to be friends with him. He had thought things were going so well between the both of them, especially recently, and he had planned to tell her how he felt about her soon, but now he didn't know what to do. There was a huge part of him that was so angry, at Haley and at himself. But he knew he was going to have to be there for Haley at the moment and that would mean pushing those angry and confused feelings aside. What Haley needed right now was a friend and he was going to do just that, even if it was going to kill him.

He lay back on the bed, not bothering to take off his t-shirt and shorts. He regretted not beating Chase to a pulp, it was no more than he deserved. Nathan cared a great deal about Haley and seeing her so scared had nearly made him cry himself. Nathan knew he didn't have the best of reputations when it came to women, but he had never forced himself on any of them, he would never force himself on anybody. He punched the mattress beside him in frustration at the situation he found himself in. He really liked Haley, but if she was going on dates with other people, it was obvious that she didn't feel the same way. He knew he was just going to have to get over his infatuation with her and move on, after all, that seemed to be what she was doing.

~*~

Haley had crawled into bed, dressed in one of Nathan's t-shirts, but she couldn't sleep, she didn't want to close her eyes. She hadn't drawn the curtains and found herself staring out of the window, into the darkness, barely seeing the drops of rain stain the window.

She could hear the rain though, its gentle pattering on the window was comforting to her, and she didn't think she would be able to stand being trapped in the room in complete silence. Her mind kept drifting back to Chase. _How could she have been so stupid? _She should have run a mile when Chase had dragged her to the club. But stupid Haley went right along with him. She was so angry at herself for not being able to get away, and for having to drag Nathan into this too. Lord only knew what he must be thinking about her.

Haley couldn't take it anymore, and decided to head downstairs. She couldn't lie in that bed any longer, she knew she wasn't going to be falling to sleep anytime soon and so went and poured herself a glass of water in the kitchen she had been sitting in with Nathan earlier. There were so many things she wanted to say to Nathan but she didn't even know where to begin, and after tonight's mess, she was pretty sure that he wouldn't want to hear even half of what she had to say. She walked over to the French doors, seeing that it was still raining. She decided to head outside, she needed to clear her thoughts, hoping that the rain could help was away her memories of tonight as well.

She walked right out onto the grass and stood in the centre of his lawn, letting the rain drench her. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheek, she had been so strong all night, fighting back the tears, she didn't want Chase to get to her like this at all. But she couldn't help it. It seemed the shock at what had happened was finally hitting her like a ton of bricks.

~*~

Nathan was still lying on top of his bed, his mind running a mile a minute. He decided to go and check on Haley; hopefully she would be fast asleep, she definitely needed to get some and hopefully she would feel a little better in the morning and be ready to talk to him about what had happened. He turned on the hallway light and walked along the corridor to the room she was sleeping in and opened the door as quietly as he could. His eyes moved towards the bed only to find the covers pulled back and no Haley in the bed. He opened the door further, getting extremely worried as to where she could be. He turned on the light to the room, and looked around, not seeing Haley anywhere. "Haley?" He called out.

No answer.

He ran down the stairs, seeing the kitchen light was switched on, "Haley?" He called out again as he raced into the kitchen, still not seeing Haley. He saw that the light was on outside and walked up to the French doors and peered out into the darkness, seeing Haley standing in the middle of his garden in the pouring rain. He grabbed the pair of trainers he had on the mat and placed them on his feet as he opened up the door and ran down to her. "Hales what are you doing out here, you're soaked!"

Haley turned around and wiped the tears that were falling as she turned to face him.

His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. She looked so helpless in that moment, and so innocent. He pulled her close to him. "Oh Hales." He said as he ran his hand over her head. He couldn't stand to see her like this, seeing her crying over something that shouldn't have happened, not to her. He wished he could just take her away from all of this, so she wouldn't have to think about it anymore.

Haley just collapsed into his arms and started sobbing again. She was so grateful to Nathan that he was here with her; she didn't think she would have been able to bear a night by herself.

"Come on, let's get you inside." Nathan said once she had calmed down a little, as he pulled away from her and put his arm around her waist, leading her back inside his house. When they got inside, he grabbed her a towel and a new t-shirt and handed them to her. "You want to get some sleep?" He asked her.

Haley shook her head. "I can't sleep."

"Hales you really should try…" Nathan started.

"No. I won't be able to sleep, I know I won't." Haley said as she went and sat down on the sofa.

Nathan sat down on his sofa with her. She still hadn't got changed from her dripping wet t-shirt and was absolutely soaking wet. He knew she needed some company and he was glad that he could be the one to take care of her, for in that moment, he felt nothing but the need to care and protect her.

He pulled a pillow from behind him and placed it in his lap, and gently pulled Haley's head down onto it so she was lying down on the sofa. He stroked her head, just sitting next to her in complete silence, letting her know that he was there.

Haley felt herself begin to relax and calm down. Nathan's touch was so soothing and knowing that she was near him put her mind at ease. "Thank you Nathan." She whispered. Her eyelids were starting to feel extremely heavy so she closed her eyes as she felt sleep creep upon her.

Nathan listened as her breathing became calmer and watched as her body rose and fell to the rhythm of her breathing. He continued stroking her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She really was the most precious thing he had in his life, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how empty he would feel if he ever lost her. He was so confused as to what he should be feeling towards her right now though, should he be angry that she went out with someone else? Should he be happy that things had seemed to be going so well between them, all before tonight happened that is? Should he let her go and forget that anything had ever happened between them? Should he tell her how much she meant to him? Did she want to hear any of it? Did she care about him the way he cared about her? However, he pushed all those thoughts out of his head for now, he was just glad that in this moment, she had chosen him to help her, which surely had to mean something, right?

One thing was for sure, he really needed to sort out whatever was going on between them. All this dancing around was doing nothing for his sanity, so when the time was right, he would ask her what was going on between them, but for now, he would be there for her, take care of her, hold her. He lent down and placed a soft kiss on her temple before resting a hand on her hip, sinking down into the sofa further and closing his eyes, content that she was safe and with him.

**AN – So what did you guys think? I've already stated typing up the next chapter… and big things are about to happen between Nathan and Haley so I hope you all stick with it! x**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews of the last chapter – they all meant so much to me and made my week! So thank you again and let me know what you all think of this chapter by dropping me a review! x**

**Chapter Seven**

Nathan awoke at six o'clock the next morning with a very painful back given the way he had been sleeping during the night. He opened up his eyes but was careful to move even an inch of his body as he didn't want to wake Haley, who was still lying on the couch with her head in his lap, resting on a pillow from the sofa. He smiled as he looked down at her, she really was quite simply the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on, and she looked so at peace with the world while she was sleeping, which he knew was a million miles away from what she had been like the night before.

Nathan was still reeling about what had happened last night. He was furious with Chase, he couldn't even fathom how any man could ever do what he had done to Haley, there had to be something seriously wrong with his head, that was the only explanation that Nathan could come up with. He was so glad that Haley was safe though. His Haley. He brought his hand up to stroke some hair that was resting on her face and brushed it back towards her ear. He felt one hundred percent complete when Haley was in his arms. And that was the way he wanted things to be, he wanted to be able to hold her and kiss her and be with her whenever he wanted to, only he wasn't sure they ever could be the way he wanted them to be. Not now.

He sighed heavily as he continued to stroke her hair lightly, pondering what the future had in store for him and the girl laying his lap, who had just started to stir.

Haley turned over from where she was laying down and opened her eyes, only to be confronted by an extremely bare, extremely male chest. She was slightly disorientated and so shut her eyes briefly trying to understand why she appeared to be laying in someone's lap for starters and why she wasn't at home in her own bed, when it suddenly hit her, Chase. She groaned silently to herself and opened up her eyes again, staring at the chest that was in front of her, trying to push thoughts of Chase out of her head, after all, this chest she was staring at was far more beautiful and interesting than what had happened last night, Haley never wanted to think about last night again.

"Morning Hales." Nathan greeted her, laughing slightly at the frown on her face.

Haley looked up from where her head lay to catch Nathan's eyes, _damn he has such amazing eyes!_ "Morning." She said, her voice still groggy with sleep.

"How are you feeling?" Nathan asked while he started stroking her hair again.

Haley knew he was asking how she was feeling about what had happened last night and so gave him the answer he was looking for. "I'm fine, Nathan, to be honest, I just want to forget that last night ever happened."

"Haley if you need to talk about it, then I'm here but if you don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, then maybe you should try to talk to Peyton about what happened or something?" Nathan suggested softly.

"Nathan, honestly, I'm fine!" Haley said while sitting up, wanting him to drop the subject.

Nathan took the hint. "Okay, if you insist, but I'm still here for you if you need to talk."

"Thank you." Haley stood up from the couch and yawned while stretching her arms up in the air.

She was still only dressed in his old Knicks t-shirt which looked more like a dress on Haley than a t-shirt given how long it was on her tiny frame and all Nathan could think about was how sexy she looked in it, he loved the fact that she was dressed in something that belonged to him, even if she didn't.

"You mind if I take a shower?" Haley asked as she turned around to face him again.

"No sure, make yourself at home, there are spare towels in the bathroom, just help yourself." Nathan smiled at her as she made her way out of the lounge and up the stairs. He got up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He lent against the work top and sighed to himself, not being able to get visions of a naked Haley upstairs in the shower out of his head now. He shook his head; he really needed to sort this mess out, and soon.

He turned around after having his drink of water and walked out of the kitchen towards his bedroom, in need of a shower himself. He walked up the stairs and turned the corner only to find Haley just walking out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her.

Haley turned herself around to face Nathan, having heard him walking up the stairs. "Oh my God! You're shower is amazing, I love all the jets!" She said while giggling.

Nathan wanted her to run into the spare room right now, otherwise he was going to do something he knew he would regret. He couldn't even think right now, all he could do was watch her, run his eyes up and down her body, down those incredibly sexy legs. He held his hands together in front of him, trying to stop them from reaching out and swiping the towel from her body. "I'm glad you liked it." He managed to choke out.

Haley smiled at him, as she started to walk back into the bedroom Nathan had given her to sleep in last night.

"I…. er…. I need to take a shower." Nathan mumbled as he walked past her, all but running into his bedroom, stomping over to the shower which was in his en-suite and turned the water on cold. _For crying out loud! _He shouted to himself. _She's just a girl…. She's just a girl…. She's just a girl… _He kept saying to himself… _but she is one fucking sexy girl!_

~*~

Haley walked out of yet another interview, she really did get sick of people asking her the same questions over and over again sometimes, but she knew it came with the territory and so grinned through it most of the time, wishing that she could tell them what she really thought about the pathetic and repeated questions she was asked. She reached into her bag and found her phone, pulling it out to check whether he had called or even text her, only to be disappointed for about the hundredth time that day, and the previous day, in fact during the whole week.

Things between her and Nathan had been strained to say the least the past couple of weeks. Just when things seemed to be moving forward, and she nearly got that illusive kiss from him, had Brooke not interrupted them, their relationship seemed to have taken two steps back. Of course, Chase hadn't helped matters at all, but Haley wasn't thinking of him, as she had told Nathan, she wanted to forget it ever happened, and she was hoping that Nathan could also forget that she had ever met Chase, he caused an obscene amount of unwanted drama where she and Nathan were concerned.

Haley was in LA for a week, bored stiff, doing countless interviews and appearances, trying to keep herself in the news, or so Peyton had said that was the purpose of this weeks visit. If Haley had it her way, she would crawl under her duvet, preferably with Nathan, and stay that way forever; she didn't want to be in the public eye at the moment, she wanted to be with Nathan. It was all a stupid vicious circle that Haley couldn't seem to stop running around in.

She decided to bite the bullet and call him. It had been a week since they had talked and she missed him. There wasn't any harm in calling him to say hello, surely, she pondered as she felt her fingers instinctively scroll down to his number before her brain had a chance to stop her.

"Hi Hales." Nathan said as he picked up his ringing phone, glad to see it was Haley calling him, he missed talking to her.

"Hi Nathan, long time no speak!"

"I know, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, training has been pretty harsh this past week and then we had an away game, so I've been pretty tired."

"Yeah I know I saw it on the TV, you played well."

"Thanks. So how is LA?"

"Urgh. Have I ever told you how much I hate LA?"

"Erm, no, what's wrong with LA?" Nathan asked, laughing at her.

"I just hate it. It's full of pretentious assholes who think they are better than anyone, and it's far too hot here too. And I hate all the press that are like, everywhere. It's just horrible. I'd never live here, not if someone paid me all the money in the world, I just don't get what the big attraction to this hell hole is?"

"It's not that bad Hales!"

"No trust me, it is!"

Nathan just laughed at her ranting. "So when are you home?"

"Tomorrow actually, I can't wait to get back." _And see you. _She added quietly to herself.

"Oh cool, well if you get back in time, I'm meeting Luke and Brooke at the bar tomorrow night, so you're more than welcome to meet us there."

"That sounds like fun, I land at about eight so I can just quickly head home and then meet you there, I should be there at like half nine?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow Hales."

"Yeah see you tomorrow. Bye." Haley said as she hung up the phone, not being able to wipe the grin off her face as she walked into another building for yet another interview. _Now that was definitely worth the phone call!_

~*~

Nathan walked into Lucas' bar after getting off the phone with Haley, not seeing him around anywhere, so plonked himself on a chair by the bar, playing with the phone he still had in his hands. He was still so unsure about Haley, not that he didn't know that he wanted her, cos he did, but he really didn't know what she wanted, whether it was friendship, like she had told him, or whether she too wanted more, which given the way they had been flirting the last time they were in this bar, it would seem that she did want more with him, but then again, the very next day she went on a date with Chase. _Argh! What the hell does she want?!_

"Uh oh." Lucas said as he walked into the bar, finding Nathan sitting at the bar again.

Nathan turned to see his brother walking behind the bar. "What?"

"You're moping again."

"I am not moping!"

"Yes you are, you have your mopey face on you."

"I don't have a mopey face, thank you very much."

Lucas laughed. "What's happened with Haley now?!"

"How do you know it's to do with Haley?" Nathan asked, wondering if he really was that easy to read.

"It's obvious."

Nathan sighed. "I just don't know what she wants from me."

"Well did you talk to her?"

"I didn't think I needed too, not after the way things had been going."

"I know, I saw the both of you the last time you were in here, and it seemed pretty obvious to me bro. I'd say from the way she was sitting on your lap, blatantly flirting with you, it's very clear that she wants all the same things you do."

"Yeah but you don't know the full story." Nathan sighed, as he continued to toss his phone around in his hands, wondering if he should divulge all the details to his brother. He needed to tell someone, that much he was sure of, he just wasn't sure if it was Haley he needed to be saying all this too.

"Well what is the full story?"

Nathan decided to tell him, he needed to get this off his chest and also get a second opinion. "Well, you saw us when we were in here right, things were going great, and then your lovely girlfriend," Nathan said as he glared at Lucas before continuing, "interrupted us, and then I don't know, Haley went all cold on me, went and got some water and then came back saying she wanted to leave."

"Okay…"

"And so I'm sitting here all confused so I decide to wait for her to call me to explain what happened, you know. Cos it seems whenever we're out together, she's always fine until a point, then her phone rings or she turns suddenly and runs out on me. So there I am the next evening, watching some TV, waiting for her to call, when my phone rings, at like eleven, and it was Haley."

"So did she explain what happened?"

"Not exactly. She was out on a date with someone and the guy she was with was trying it on with her, being forceful with her, you know what I mean. So I told her to wait outside and I came and picked her up and she stayed at my place that night. Nothing happened between us obviously…"

"Shit, is she okay?"

"Yeah she's fine now; well so she says, she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Crap." Lucas said as he rubbed his chin with his hand, not sure what to make of all this at all.

"I know."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea. She's in LA at the moment; she's back tomorrow so I invited her out with us."

"Well that's good."

"I just have no idea what to do with all this. I don't understand why she was out on a date with someone else when things seemed to be going so well between us?"

"Nate, you need to talk to her. I mean really talk to her this time and tell her everything."

Nathan sighed. "I will. I just need to find the right words to say to her, and the right time to say them."

~*~

Haley walked through the back entrance of the bar, searching frantically for Nathan, Lucas and Brooke. She spied Brooke first at the bar and made her way over to her. "Hi Brooke." Haley said as she tapped her on the shoulder.

"Haley!" Brooke greeted her with a hug. "Nathan said you were coming out tonight. How was LA?"

"Oh don't ask, I'm not a fan of LA, much prefer New York!"

"I know exactly what you mean!"

"How are things with you?"

"Good thanks, you want a drink?" Brooke asked.

"Here, let me get them for you." Someone said to the right of them.

Both girls turned to see a man standing next to them, waving some money at the bar tender.

"What will it be ladies?"

"Erm, I'll have a vodka and coke please." Brooke said as she smiled at the man, shrugging at Haley. Brooke Davis never turned down the offer of free drinks!

"I'll have the same please." Haley said, smiling shyly at the man.

The man turned to the bar tender. "Two double vodkas and cokes for these beautiful ladies and a beer for me please."

Haley turned to Brooke and raised her eyebrows, wondering what this man's deal was.

"So do you two pretty ladies have names?" He asked.

"I'm Brooke and this is…" Brooke started only to be interrupted by him.

"Haley James." The man finished for her. "I'm Mark." He said as he leaned forward to pop a kiss on each of their cheeks.

Haley rolled her eyes at his gesture, only to have Brooke elbow her in the side. Haley sighed and decided to play nice, at least he had got them a both a drink.

~*~

"How long is Brooke taking with our drinks?" Nathan asked irritated that he had been sitting there without a beer for the last ten minutes. He needed the alcohol to calm his nerves. He was definitely going to talk to Haley tonight, he needed to get it all off his chest and tell her how he felt about her, hence the need for the alcohol to give him some much needed Dutch courage.

"I don't know, she's probably spotted someone she knows or something." Lucas said as he polished off the remaining beer he had left in his bottle. Unlike Nathan, Lucas was taking it easy tonight.

"Well she'd better hurry up otherwise I'm going to go and get them myself." Nathan huffed.

"Nate, calm down!" Lucas said as he patted his shoulder. "I know you're worked up about this whole Haley thing but you just need to take it easy! She should be here in a minute shouldn't she?"

Nathan let Lucas' words sink in for a while before pushing the chair his was sitting on back and standing up. "I need a beer." He said. "You coming with me?"

"Nathan, you really shouldn't drink too much tonight."

"I've only had one so far Lucas!"

"I know but it's the 'so far' that's worrying me." Lucas sighed while getting up from his chair, and then they both turned around to walk to the bar.

Nathan scanned the bar as he walked down the steps from where they had been sitting, looking for Haley. It was ten o'clock already; she should be here by now. His eyes roamed the crowded bar until they locked on her. "What the fuck?" He said as he placed an arm over Lucas' chest, preventing him from walking any further.

"What's up now Nate?" Lucas sighed.

"Look at the bar." Nathan gritted through his teeth.

Lucas did as Nathan has asked and spotted Brooke and Haley chatting away to a group of guys. "Well at least you know she's here." Lucas said.

Nathan turned to look at Lucas like he had grown two heads or something. "What is the matter with you?!" Nathan said bewildered.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you not bothered that Brooke is blatantly flirting with another man?! I'm not even with Haley at the moment and this bothers the shit out of me!"

"It's harmless." Lucas shrugged.

Nathan looked over at Haley again, who had just been touched on the arm by an unknown man. "Yeah that doesn't look harmless to me." Nathan said, clenching his jaw and his fists and started to make his way over there.

Lucas grabbed a hold of Nathan's arm, pulling him back. "Nate what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to tell that bastard to back off. And if he doesn't listen, I'm going to push him off." Nathan said angrily, looking down at the arm Lucas had a hold of. "Get of my arm man!"

"Nate, you just said it yourself; you're not even with Haley. You have no right to tell her who she can and can't speak to."

"So what, I'll just go over there and say hello then, and take her back to the table."

"Nathan…"

"Lucas, let go of my arm." Nathan said raising his voice.

"Nate, go and sit down, you're only going to make things worse, trust me. I'll go and speak to them okay. You don't want to ruin this."

Nathan glared at his brother, as much as he knew he was right, he didn't want to go and sit down. He glanced over at Haley again, who seemed to be laughing along with Brooke about something 'funny guy' had just said. He clenched his jaw again and let out a long sigh, before walking back to the table he and Lucas had just left and sat down, turning the chair around so he could at least watch what Haley was doing. If he touched her again, he was going to knock this dude out, that much he was sure of.

~*~

Haley finished her vodka and coke and before she knew it, Mark had got her another one. "You trying to get me drunk?" Haley asked him.

Mark threw his hands up in the air. "I'm just keeping two pretty ladies happy, that's all." He said with a cheeky grin, eyeing both Haley and Brooke.

Haley's thoughts moved to Nathan, he had a grin like the one Mark had just flashed at her and Brooke, only Nathan's was much more sexy than that, Nathan's smirk had magical powers, Haley was sure of it, one look from Nathan with that infamous smirk and she may as well strip then and there and let him cart her off to the nearest table, seat, bed, wall, hell even the bar would do, it wouldn't really matter. Haley was sure sex with Nathan would be incredible wherever and whenever.

She looked around the bar, sipping on her new drink looking for him. She turned to Brooke who was talking to Mark about something and nudged her, leaning in to whisper to her, "is Nathan here?"

"Yeah he's with Luke somewhere." Brooke said as she waved a hand around the bar, getting back to her conversation with Mark.

_Well that was helpful! _Haley thought to herself as she walked away from Mark and Brooke and started to search for Nathan. She hadn't seen him in over a week and was more than anxious to see him again. The butterflies that were always present when she was near him started pounding around in her stomach, causing Haley to grin at herself, she was such a girl!

She looked over at where she and Nathan usually sat when they came here but couldn't see him so she turned around and scanned the back wall of the club which was also lined with tables, when she saw him sitting there watching her, with his arms crossed over his chest, causing Haley to gasp at how sexy and moody he looked. He didn't look particularly happy, but Haley didn't care and after what had happened with Chase, she never felt surer about what she wanted. She wanted him, moody, happy, it didn't matter. He was what she needed, what she craved.

Haley kept her eyes on him as she gulped down the remaining vodka and coke she had in her glass and put it down on a nearby table, and then made her way over to him, grinning like a Cheshire cat, only he didn't return the grin, he was still sitting there with his arms folded across his chest, being all broody, just staring at her coldly. _I like a challenge! _Haley thought to herself, certain and confident that she could knock whatever was bothering him out in around ten seconds.

She walked over to him and dropped herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hey stranger." She purred in his ear.

Nathan didn't move, didn't even acknowledge her, his arms were still crossed and he wasn't looking at her. _Oh dear, this is going to be harder than I thought…_

Haley pulled away from him a little, balancing herself on his leg, with one arm still wrapped around his neck, clinging on so she didn't topple over and ran a finger from her free hand down the middle of his chest. "I missed you." She said as she looked up hoping to catch his eye.

Nathan sighed. He was more confused now than he had been before she went to LA, if that was at all possible. He had asked her to meet him tonight, and she didn't even come to find him to say hello first, she was too busy flirting with another guy instead. He really was beginning to doubt whether he should say anything to her at all. But then, he looked down at her now, into those big brown eyes full of lust and hope and the confusion he felt about her, about them, increased ten fold. She was saying she missed him. But all Nathan wanted to know was why she missed him? What does all this mean?

Haley looked into those gorgeous eyes of his and smiled at him shyly. She could stare at him forever and not get bored, she was sure of it, he was too amazing for anyone to ever get bored of looking at him. "Did you not miss me?" Haley asked as she ran her finger down his cheek and wrapped it back around his neck where her other hand was.

He wanted clarity. That was all. He didn't want to play games. He needed to know the truth, about Chase, about her feelings towards him, about funny guy, about everything. He pulled her arms from around his neck and pushed them back into her. "Excuse me." He mumbled through gritted teeth.

Haley looked at him confused, unsure as to what was the matter with him. She got off his lap like he had asked her to and watched as he walked down to the bar where Lucas was. She followed him, standing behind him while he was telling Lucas that he was going to go home.

He walked right past her and out the back door, calling a car. He didn't want to do this with her, not now. He needed to think about things, think about what he was going to say to her. He was so confused right about now, he was sure if they started this conversation tonight, it wouldn't go well, and he'd end up getting far too angry and say things he didn't mean.

Haley saw him walking out of the back door and decided to follow him, walking outside herself. "Nathan?" She called out as she closed the back door and turned around to see him leaning against the wall. "What's wrong?"

Nathan sighed. "Haley I really don't want to do this right now."

"Well I do, it's obvious that I've done something to upset you, and I want to sort it out."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well tough, we're friends right? Friends talk about things."

Nathan just scoffed at her. There was that word again, the one he hated hearing. Luckily for Nathan, his car pulled up. "Go back inside Haley; I'm sure that guy you were laughing with at the bar will buy you another drink." He said bitterly as he got in the car.

Haley's mouth fell open in shock. So that was the problem. _Men. _She grabbed the door that he was trying to close and managed to slide into the car before he managed to close it.

"Hales. Please just go inside."

"No." Haley said as she closed the door.

The driver opened the screen that divided the front and back of the car. "Where to?"

Nathan sighed as he gave the driver Haley's address. It seemed she wasn't going to listen to him at all.

The driver closed the screen and pulled the car away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them sitting across from each other with their arms crossed over their chests.

"So are you going to tell me what the hell is wrong with you?" Haley asked.

Nathan scoffed. "Trust me Hales; there is nothing wrong with me. Maybe you should ask yourself that question." He bit back.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't understand what sort of game you're playing but I'm sick of playing with you. I quit."

"I am not playing any game Nathan; I have no idea what you are talking about."

Nathan laughed snidely. "You have no idea?! Well that makes two of us I guess!"

"Nathan what are you talking about, all this cryptic crap isn't getting us anywhere."

"What do you expect me to think about you?" He threw back at her, wanting to get her take on all this.

"Nathan I don't understand what you are trying to say. I have no idea what you think about me. I hope that you like me…" Haley said calmly, hoping to diffuse some of the anger and tension that was lingering in the air.

Nathan looked at her coldly. He could feel the rage running through him, the frustration at what was or wasn't happening between Haley and him. "What about Chase?"

Haley sighed. "Nathan, Chase meant nothing to me. You know that Peyton set it up, I had nothing to do with it."

"So why the hell did you decide to meet up with him again?" He shouted. "You must have liked him enough to say yes to the second date that he offered."

"Nathan I just told you, Chase meant nothing to me…" Haley shouted back.

"Well if he fucking meant nothing then why didn't you tell me about it? Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie to you."

"Well you didn't tell me about him, about your second date did you? Why not?"

"Because it meant nothing!" Haley shouted back for the third time, hoping this time he would understand what she was saying.

"And what about us, does this mean nothing too?" He shouted.

Haley glared at him. She couldn't believe how much of an asshole he was being right now. She decided the best course of action was to just shut up and let him have his shouting match with himself.

Nathan couldn't stop now that he had started. The frustration and confusion being propelled by the rage and jealousy of seeing Haley with laughing boy tonight fuelled him further. "And what's with the whole running away thing Haley? I don't understand you… one minute you're flirting with me and then the next you're trying to get as far away from me as you can. I mean for crying out loud, if that's not playing games, then I don't know what is!"

"Well you should fucking know, shouldn't you Nathan. I mean the whole flipping world knows how good you are at playing games with women." Haley snapped.

"Don't you fucking twist this back on me Haley. I haven't been playing games with you at all. In fact, I think given everything that's happened between us over the past couple of months, I've been incredibly patient with you."

"Patient? What the hell does that mean Nathan?"

"Come off it Haley, first there's the date with Chase, oh and don't forget the second one you went on with him and now laughing boy in the bar, what the hell am I supposed to think?!"

"Nathan, I don't give a crap about what you think or don't think."

"Yeah I can tell! So what was going on between you and Chase anyway?" Nathan wasn't able to let that one go.

"Why do you keep bringing him up? He has nothing to do with us."

"Ah but Haley, there isn't an 'us', we're just friends." Nathan said bitterly. "Come on then, spill…"

Haley sighed. "Why does this matter?"

"It matters to me Haley. I need to know."

"I told you. Peyton set up the premiere in LA, then he said we should get together when he was in New York and I said yes."

"So why didn't you tell me about it? I mean I was under the impression that things were going really well between us."

"The only reason I was going out with him was to tell him that I wasn't interested in him."

"So you telling him you weren't interested in him involved going not only out for dinner but also to a club?" Nathan scoffed.

Haley couldn't believe him. She sat there, in stunned silence; he was making a fucking mountain out of a molehill. She had nothing to say to him and so sat back in the chair and stared out of the window. This was turning into a complete fucking nightmare and neither of them were getting anywhere by shouting and screaming at each other, Haley knew that.

Nathan looked over at her. He wanted her so much and he knew he'd said some things he shouldn't have but he needed to know where he stood, what she was thinking. He sighed as the car pulled up outside Haley's house, unable to get the last thought out of his head. He knew he shouldn't ask but he needed to know, for his own piece of mind.

Haley scooted along the seat, not even bothering to look at Nathan. She had her hand on the door handle ready to get out of the car when she heard him ask her something.

"Did you sleep with him?" Nathan asked so quietly he wasn't sure if Haley had heard him.

Haley turned around, her mouth wide open in shock. "What?" She asked unsure if she had heard him correctly.

Nathan sighed. "I said, did you sleep with him?"

Haley scoffed. "Un-fucking-believable."

"Well Haley, what am I supposed to think? I saw that picture that was taken of the both of you on the red carpet; it looked pretty cosy to me." Nathan said bitterly.

"You know what Nathan that is none of your fucking business alright." Haley said as she walked out of the car, incredibly pissed off.

Nathan just looked at her, watching her leave the car, silently pleading with her to tell him the truth.

Haley turned around and caught his eyes and shook her head. "You know, we are not together Nathan, you don't have the right to be angry or pissed or whatever the hell you are right now because of Chase. And whether I did or didn't sleep with him shouldn't factor into anything but I also would have hoped that you would know me well enough by now to know that I wouldn't have slept with him. And just for the record, I didn't okay. I'm just disappointed that you seemed to think that I did." Haley shut the door to the limo and walked slowly towards her front door, hearing the limo pull away as she put her key in the door, feeling nothing but anger and disappointment in the boy she so wanted to be hers.

Nathan leant back against the chair. He was so pissed off with himself, letting the anger and frustration control what he was saying instead of his brain. He had some major grovelling to do now, he knew that. But at least he had peace of mind. All he had to do now was to get Haley to be his and he would be complete, she was now all he needed, he was certain of it. He just didn't know if she would have him after all that.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN – Hey guys! Thanks again for the reviews; some of the things you guys say are so lovely! It was quite interesting to see your reactions to the argument that Nathan and Haley had in the car, with some of you thinking that Nathan was in the wrong, and others thinking Haley deserved all that Nathan said! I have a big sheet of paper which maps out how this story is going to go and it's so satisfying crossing things off it – I can't believe the story is at Chapter Eight already and I have so much fun writing it and I'm so happy that you all seem to be enjoying it. Anyway, enough rambling…! x**

**Chapter Eight**

Nathan lay awake in his bed, tossing the covers aside as he let out a frustrated sigh. It was nearly morning anyway and he was far too hot and bothered, and plus if he couldn't get to sleep now he may as well just get up. The more he lay in bed with his eyes closed trying to get to sleep, the more he kept picturing the disappointed look Haley had in her eyes when she had slammed the limo door shut that night. Then the more he thought about that look, the angrier he got, not only at himself, for he knew he should never have talked to Haley like that, but also at her. If she had only bloody listened to him and not got in the car, none of this would have happened. If she had just come and found him when she arrived at the bar instead of laughing it up with 'laughing boy', he would never have been in a mood. If she had never gone on that date with Chase, they would probably be together by now. But they weren't. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like it was her bloody fault, not his.

He knew he needed to apologise to her for the way he shouted at her. The shouting probably wasn't fair on her. But she had pushed him, asking what was wrong with him, and he had kept all those feelings bottled in for so long, he knew he was going to explode, that was why he had left the bar in the first place, to prevent something like that from happening. So he would apologise to her for shouting at her, but there was no way he was going to apologise for what he said. He shouldn't have to. Should he?

This was what he had been like all night, his conscience playing games with him. The look in Haley's eyes when she left the limo was full of disgust and she also looked a little hurt, and Nathan hated the fact that it was something he had said which had meant had she felt like that, and that obviously made him feel like absolute shit. He really did care about Haley, he'd never cared about a girl before in his life, so all this was new to him. He needed his brother's advice, that was for sure. The only problem with getting advice from Lucas was that he was nothing like Nathan and so didn't understand how insecure he was about talking to girls about feelings and all that crap. The way Nathan had previously lived his life didn't call for any of that touchy feely shit. But he wanted more, he knew that now, and he wanted it with Haley.

He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt and walked downstairs, putting his trainers on and headed outside for a run. He needed to clear his head and he had always found running was the best way for him to do that. He decided he would go and see Lucas once he had finished his run and had a shower to see what wonderful brotherly advice he could give. Hopefully Luke would be able to give him a script or something to follow when he got around to speaking to Haley, given the way things were being messed up left right and centre he bloody needed one!

~*~

Haley dragged herself out of bed. She hadn't had much sleep at all, dozing off every now and then but her mind was occupied with Nathan. She was furious with him and what he had insinuated. She checked her phone, seeing that she had a message, but scoffed to herself when she saw it was from Brooke and not Nathan. _ Who the hell does he think he is? _Haley thought to herself, flabbergasted at the fact that he had said what he had last night and still nearly twelve hours later hadn't apologised to her. She opened up the text and saw Brooke asking to go shopping with her. Haley responded, saying she would meet her at the mall in half an hour, she definitely needed to work off some steam, and retail therapy would help her do just that.

She jumped in the shower and got dressed quickly, grabbing her car keys and headed out of the door, hoping that for at least five minutes he would just get out of her head! She pulled into the parking space and walked into the mall, giving Brooke a call on her phone wondering where she was going to meet her, when she felt someone jump on her back.

"Jesus!" Haley exclaimed as she turned around ready to start shouting at whoever had just jumped on her, she really wasn't in the mood today, but quickly stopped when she saw a grinning Brooke standing behind her.

"Hey Haley!"

"Brooke, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry!" Brooke said as she looped her arm through Haley's. "You ready for some intense retail therapy?"

"Lord knows I need it." Haley deadpanned.

"Okay, spill." Brooke said as she stopped them from walking any further and turned to face Haley, knowing instantly that something was wrong, and also guessing that it had something to do with Nathan. She had seen him stomp out of the bar last night, and had also seen Haley follow him, so she knew something had happened between them, and from the look on Haley's face, it didn't seem that what had happened last night was good news.

Haley sighed. "I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Rubbish. Come on, we'll refuel on some coffee before we hit the shops and you can tell me all about it." Brooke started dragging Haley into the nearest coffee shop and sat her down in one of the comfy sofas before grabbing two coffees for them and plonking herself on the sofa next to Haley, ready to listen to what she had to say.

"… So then I basically slammed the door, walked inside, and haven't heard from him since." Haley finished, having given Brooke a pretty succinct but accurate version of the 'Haley and Nathan, what the fuck is going on' story.

Brooke looked at Haley with a confused expression on her face. "So this dude you went on a date with really tried it on with you, you called Nathan and he actually came to pick you up?!"

"Yep. He was really sweet about it too, really looked after me, you know? I guess that's why I'm so confused about all of this. Everything had been going so well and then all of a sudden he just snapped in the limo last night, it seemed like it all came from nowhere!"

Brooke let out a long sigh. "That really doesn't sound like Nathan at all. The shouting part does, he's always been a little hot headed, but the caring side of all this, I've never heard or seen him be like that about anything, other than basketball anyway."

"Well he was amazing with me. Honestly. And then last night he goes and spouts all this stuff about me and the other guy, when there was nothing going on with me and the other guy anyway! He just wouldn't listen to me. And then when he asked me if I slept with him…" Haley didn't want to tell Brooke the 'other guy' was Chase Adams, she wanted to keep that fact to herself, it would only cause more questions, it was best to keep his identity under wraps.

"That's none of his bloody business anyway, I mean it's not like you and Nathan were together or anything even if you had slept with him." Brooke interrupted.

"I know!" Haley exclaimed, so pleased that Brooke could see this from her point of view.

"Well, if you want my advice, I say you wait until he apologises to you. You didn't do anything wrong!"

"I know, that was my original plan, to just sit it out and wait. But it's so hard to; I kind of just want to speak to him now and get it all out in the open and sort the mess out."

"Well don't, he screwed up, he should apologise. Just a heads up though, Nathan's never really been this serious about anyone before, so he might take a while to catch on. But if he doesn't, then I'll kick his ass into gear!"

"Thanks Brooke. I really needed to get that off my chest." Haley smiled at Brooke, grateful to have someone to confide in.

"Pleased to help. Now drink that coffee so we can get shopping!" Brooke said as she nudged the coffee cup towards Haley.

~*~

Nathan walked through the back door of the bar to find Lucas restocking the beers in the fridge. "Hey man."

"Hey Nate. You manage to calm down yet?!" Lucas teased.

Nathan shot him a deathly glare.

"Obviously not." Lucas muttered to himself. "So what brings you here so early, oh wait, let me guess, it's the same reason as all the other mid morning catch ups, isn't it?!"

"Ha ha, you're so funny." Nathan deadpanned as he sat down at the bar.

"What did you do this time?" Lucas asked as he watched Nathan's body language, knowing instantly that something was wrong.

"Nothing… Really." Nathan started, while fiddling with his hands.

Lucas just sighed. "Come on. Tell me what happened." He walked around the bar and took a seat next to his brother.

"I shouted at her." Nathan said while still looking at his hands, not wanting to look at Lucas.

"Well that's a flipping good start. Why were you shouting at her?"

Nathan sighed. "Everything was getting to me, you know, Chase, then that bloke she was talking to at the bar last night, and I just snapped. She got in the car with me when I left last night, I warned her not to but she did anyway and she asked what was wrong, and I was so frustrated, it all just kind of came out."

Lucas sighed. "To be honest with you Nathan, I can kind of see where you're coming from. I mean, you really like her but things keep going wrong with you two, which must be incredibly annoying for you, but you need to really tell her how much you like her, otherwise she's just going to think you're some idiot who shouts around for no reason."

"What the hell do you mean, the reason I shouted was because I was angry!"

"Yeah but she doesn't know why you're angry does she?"

Nathan sighed. "You know maybe I should just flipping forget about her. This is all way too much trouble and I'm just getting myself into so much shit its unreal."

"So what, you're just going to go back to how you were before you met Haley? Sleeping around with anything that moves?" Lucas started to raise his voice.

"Yeah well it was easier that way. At least I wasn't getting thrown about like this!" Nathan shouted back. "It's an uncomplicated way to live, at least my bloody head wouldn't be spinning all the time and at least I got some sleep before I met Haley!"

"Nathan, the only reason you are being thrown about is because you've not made you're feelings clear!"

"Yeah well maybe I don't feel anything for her."

Lucas sighed. "That's a lie and you know it."

Nathan flung his head back and closed his eyes. "I know." He said quietly, all this was really getting to him now.

"Do you regret some of the things you said last night?" Lucas asked.

"No. I regret that I shouted them at her but I think they were things that needed to be said. I mean if I hadn't said anything then I would still be wondering what the hell had been going on the past couple of months. I feel a lot better now I know that she wasn't sleeping with Chase."

"Tell me you didn't ask her if she slept with Chase?!" Lucas said astonished at Nathan's revelation.

"Damn straight I did."

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

"Why the hell wouldn't I?!"

"You weren't with her Nathan!"

"So, I was trying to be."

"God you really are clueless." Lucas said, shaking his head at his idiot of a brother.

Nathan glared at Lucas. So much for some wonderful brotherly advice! All Lucas seemed to be doing was having a go at him, which wasn't really helping the whole Haley problem!

"Just apologise to her." Lucas said as he tapped the bar with his hand.

"I'll apologise to her for shouting but there is no way in hell I am apologising for saying anything."

"Fine. Do that then. But for the love of God will you just fucking tell her how you feel!" Lucas shouted. "Nathan, you need to tell her. And you need to do it soon."

"I will, I just don't want to fuck this up, she's amazing Luke!"

"Then don't. Don't treat her like you've treated all the other girls. She deserves more than that Nathan. Don't just sleep with her and then leave her hanging."

"I won't alright!" Nathan shouted, trying to defend himself even though he knew deep down Lucas was right, that was the way he had been before, but not now, not with Haley.

"Good."

Nathan sent another glare Lucas' way before getting up and walking out of the bar. He needed to be somewhere.

~*~

"Oh my God Haley, you have to get that!" Brooke said excitedly.

"You know Brooke, I have some skimpy underwear, but I don't think this even qualifies as underwear, there's nothing to it!"

"That's the point! You're getting it! Once Nathan apologises to you, you can show him your 'I forgive you' present, which will be this!" Brooke said as she flung what could only be described as a corner of material into the basket.

"You don't even know if he's going to apologise Brooke!" Haley reasoned.

"Haley, Luke says he's crazy about you. Of course he is going to apologise. And when he sees you dressed in that, he's going to be so damn happy he did!"

Haley couldn't help but wonder if he really would apologise. He had seemed so angry last night, and it can't have been the alcohol talking as they hadn't even been at the bar that long before he had stormed out, so it must have been how he really felt about their relationship. Confused. And that sure as hell was exactly the way she was now feeling. She sighed to herself, it felt like they were stuck in this rut, and she knew deep down that they were both probably too stubborn to do anything about it. She just hoped he would be the one to make the first move.

Haley paid an obscene amount of money for the offending item of underwear, if anything just to keep Brooke quiet. There was no way in hell she would ever wear anything like that in her life. Haley loved buying sexy underwear, and wearing it, but she had limits, and that piece was so far away from the line she drew mentally in her head, it would only end up at the back of her wardrobe, still in the bag with the horrendous price tag still on it, probably for all of time.

"Alright, I think I'm done." Brooke said as they walked out of the lingerie store, back into the mall, while holding out her hands which were covered with shopping bags.

"Me too." Haley said as she looked down at what she had bought. Quite a lot actually, it seemed she really did need this shopping trip after all.

"Okay, let's get out of here then." Brooke said as they made their way to the car park.

"Shit. Look at that bloody rain!" Haley said as she stared out of the glass door. It was literally pissing it down.

"Well there's no way I'm going out in that. My hair will turn into a giant frizz ball!"

"Mine too." Haley said, pondering how long the rain looked like it was going to last. "I'll give it five minutes but if it hasn't stopped by then, I'll make a run for it."

"Okay deal." Brooke said, praying that the rain would stop. She'd spent ages this morning straightening her hair and she didn't want it to get ruined by some stupid rain!

Five minutes later, and if anything, the rain had just got worse, if that was at all possible. Haley looked outside, wondering if she really did want to get absolutely soaked, but she really didn't have a choice given that it didn't look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon. "Okay, I'm gonna go."

"Are you crazy!" Brooke squealed. "It's got worse Haley, not better!"

"I know, but I just want to go home!"

"You are mad. Well I'm going to wait a while longer, at least until it dies down a little."

"Okay, I'll see you soon Brooke." Haley said as she hugged Brooke goodbye.

"Yeah, and don't worry about Nathan, Haley, he'll get his act together sooner or later."

Haley smiled as she walked towards the door. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Brooke called after her as she watched Haley run to her car in the pouring rain, shaking her head at her.

~*~

Haley was nearly home when she heard her phone ringing. "Hello."

"Haley, it's still raining!"

"I know Brooke, haven't you left yet?!"

"No… It's got even worse than when you left!"

"Honey, I think you're just going to have to get wet!"

"I don't want to! Maybe I could buy a coat or something?"

"Brooke, why would you buy a coat just to walk to your car?"

"Cos….!"

"It's not that bad!" Haley lied. Truth be told, she was still soaking wet, even after having her heating in the car on full blast, her clothes just didn't seem to want to dry, and she didn't even want to think about what her hair must look like right now.

"Are you nearly home?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, I'm just pulling in the gates… oh shit!" Haley said, nearly dropping her phone.

"What's up?" Brooke asked.

"I have to go. Bye." Haley said as she hung up the phone and pulled her car up next to her garage. She couldn't be bothered to put it away now; she'd do it once it stopped raining. She turned her head, looking at the black Aston Martin parked at the other end of her driveway. _Why the fuck did he have to be here now?! _She asked herself. She looked like she had just been carted through a bush backwards, and then thrown into a swimming pool or something, she looked like a complete mess!

She tried to sort her hair out, not really sure why given that she needed to run back to her front door anyway, so any attempt to tame it was just a waste of time. She was fidgeting for the hell of it, she knew that. She didn't want to face him yet, not after last night, and the anticipation of wondering what he was going to say was eating her up. She didn't know how she should be feeling, part of her was happy he was here, hoping that they could finally sort things out, and then the other part was still frankly pissed off at him still for last night.

She looked in her wing mirror for the third time and decided to get out of the car. She grabbed her bags from the boot and ran around her car, not really being able to see anything because the rain was so heavy and then started to run for her front door. She felt a hand grab her wrist from behind her and she knew it was him. She let him stop her from going any further, but didn't turn around to face him.

"Hales." Nathan sighed. "Please turn around."

She did and was greeted with those intense blue eyes, which were staring right at her. She suddenly became very conscious of how she looked at the moment and tried to raise one of her bag laden hands to try to straighten her hair out, but decided the bags were going to get in the way, and so dropped her hand back down to her side, waiting for him to speak, there was no way she was going to talk first.

"Haley, I shouldn't have shouted at you okay?" Nathan started, pushing his hands down into his pockets. He had no clue how to deal with this situation, he'd never cared so much about a girl, and here he was, standing in the rain, ready to proclaim how much he liked her or something, he supposed, hell he didn't know… but he was trying, that was the main thing.

Haley stared back at him, trying desperately hard not to let any emotion register on her face, blinking about a thousand times a minute because the rain kept getting in her eyes. "And?" She said, expecting him to next apologise for what he had said to her too.

Nathan looked at her, a confused expression on his face. _What the hell does she want me to say sorry for now? _He thought to himself. If she thought he was about to apologise for what he had said as well, she had another thing coming.

Haley stood in the rain, staring at him for a minute, waiting for him to continue. She realised that he wasn't going to say he was sorry for what he had said at all, and so shook her head at him in disgust and ran for the front door, putting her key in the lock and twisting it open.

Nathan could see her running away from him; he knew he had to explain. "Haley. I'm not sorry for what I said, if that was what you were waiting for." He shouted at her, pleased when she seemed to slow down a little.

Haley pushed the door open with her foot and threw her bags inside, before turning and marching back up to Nathan so she was now in his face, pointing a finger at him. "How can you not be sorry for what you said?" She shouted.

"I'm not. I'm sorry I shouted at you, I shouldn't have said those things to you like that, but I'm not sorry I said them…"

"You are an arrogant, self centred asshole, do you know that?"

Nathan took a step back from her. _What the hell was her problem now?!_

Haley continued to shout at him. "You think you can just walk around telling me who I can and can't see, who I can and can't sleep with? Nothing was going on between us Nathan, so even if I had slept with Chase it would have absolutely nothing to do with you."

"How can you say nothing was going on with us Haley?" Nathan shouted back.

"Because it wasn't! When I went out with Chase the first time, we had only met at some charity gala, then a basketball game, then at a coffee shop. Hardly what I would call a blossoming romance!"

"But we nearly kissed Haley, if you're stupid fucking phone hadn't have gone off we would have kissed. Would it have been okay for you to go out with him then?"

"Nathan that doesn't matter. We didn't kiss, did we, so what you just said makes absolutely no difference."

"Well I guess you were lucky that the phone did ring, cos believe you me, if we had kissed and then you had gone out with Chase, we would have an even bigger problem than we do now!" Nathan shouted.

"So you're telling me that when you've kissed a girl before, you've never then gone and kissed someone else the next day? Not without, I don't know, checking if you were dating or something before?!"

"Haley, that's different okay."

"How is it different? Is it different because you're a guy?!" Haley squealed.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "No it's not different because I am a guy…"

Haley interrupted him. "You know what, I'm sick of all this, 'you're a girl so you can't do things that guys can', cos you know what Nathan, I'm sure you've done your fair share of using girls in the past, so you can get off your fucking high horse okay and you can stop telling me what to flipping do!"

"I am not telling you what to do!" _God she was annoyingly sexy when she was mad. _He couldn't stop staring at her white tank top which was almost see-through given the rain that was lashing down on them. She was wearing a baby pink bra; he could tell it was lacy from the way her tank top clung to it. He wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them, scoop her up in his arms and make her scream his name for all the right reasons, not because she was pissed at him.

"Yes you are telling me what to do Nathan. And you know what else, I'm sick of all this back and forth we seem to be doing. It's a bunch of crap. You come out with all this bullshit last night after we had seemed to be getting along so well, which seemed to come from nowhere! What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

"The reason I was so pissed at you last night Haley was because when you arrived, you spent the first half an hour flirting with some bloke at the bar!" Nathan shouted back at her.

"I was not flirting with him! I saw Brooke at the bar when I first walked in and so I went to say hello and he started talking to us. That's all it was… talking!"

"Well it didn't look like talking to me." Nathan snapped back.

Haley was really getting agitated with him now. "So I'm not allowed to talk to anyone now except you, oh and girls, of course, is that right?! Why do you even care Nathan? Why does it bother you so much that I was talking to someone else? I don't understand why me talking to someone got you so mad!?" Haley really wanted to pull her hair out right about now.

"Because I do care Haley." Nathan shouted back. _God this wasn't going well. _He didn't want to be shouting at her when he told her how much he liked her, that was definitely something that he didn't want to happen, so he kept biting his tongue, waiting for her to calm down, which unfortunately didn't appear to be happening any time soon.

"So you care about what Nathan? Being my friend? Protecting me from every single man on the planet? Being with me? What? Cos I'm confused as hell here!"

Nathan didn't say anything. He was just going to keep quiet and hope that she calmed down so he could tell her how he felt. He so didn't want them to be shouting when he told her.

He wasn't saying anything. Why the hell didn't he speak when she wanted him to? She had just asked him what he cared about. If he cared about her, all he needed to do was flipping say it, so why the hell hadn't he?! Haley sighed in frustration. "Do you know what? I hate all this." She resigned as she turned and walked away. She was done. He'd had his chance to tell her how he really felt and he hadn't said anything.

Nathan dug his hands out of his pockets and ran a hand through his hair sighing to himself. She was walking away and he desperately didn't want that to happen. He had to tell her how he felt about her, and he had to do it now. He'd had too many chances to do so and if he didn't tell her right now, he was sure he was going to go insane or something. He ran after her, catching her just before she got to the front door and grabbed her waist, turning her back to face him. She looked at him with a confused look in her eyes. He wanted to speak but he couldn't, she was so god damn beautiful, even if all her make up was running from all the rain and even if her hair looked like a birds nest. It didn't matter, she was simply stunning. He brought his hand up to clear a lock of her hair which had got stuck to her face and tucked it behind her ear, smiling to himself at how utterly gorgeous she was. He took a deep breath, and went for it. "I care about you Haley. I want to be with you, I have done ever since I saw you at that charity thing. I can't stop thinking about you, thinking about when I can next speak to you or see you. I can't think straight at all and I'm sorry I got so jealous last night. I didn't mean to shout at you but it was all getting to me and I lost my temper.."

Haley looked into those stunning blue eyes of his, he looked so hot standing there all wet from the rain, it was a wonder how she had managed to control herself when she had been shouting at him earlier! But here was Nathan Scott, holding her in his arms, telling her how he wants to be with her. She had been waiting for this moment ever since they had first met, and now that it was finally happening, she couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. She had stopped listening to him right after he had said that he wanted her. Nathan Scott wanted her! She felt like breaking out in a happy dance! Haley brought her hand up to softly wipe some of the rain that had fallen on his cheek and then wrapped her arm around his neck, standing up on her tip toes, slowly bringing his head down towards hers. He was still talking but she didn't care, she had to kiss him.

Nathan felt Haley's hands wrap around his neck and was conscious that she was lowering her head, but now that he had started talking he couldn't stop. "and I shouldn't have but you have to know why I did it. I only did it because I like you so much!"

Haley smiled at him. "Have you finished?" She asked, her mouth mere centimetres away from his.

Nathan blushed slightly. He'd never blushed over a girl before in his life. "No." He said quietly.

"Well, you just said you like me, and I like you too. So will you just shut up and kiss me Nathan Scott." Haley said, looking deeply into his eyes, a smile spread across her face.

Nathan chuckled to himself. He took a nervous breath. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He lowered his head the slight distance that was needed to bring his lips to hers. He kissed her once, lightly and pulled back slightly, wondering if she was going to slap him or something, even though she had asked to be kissed, he was still unsure about it. He then felt Haley's hands pushing on his neck, pushing his mouth back down to hers.

Haley stood further on her tip toes and felt her lips connect with Nathan's again. If it had been a jolt of electricity that had run through her when he had touched her hand, then surges of electricity were running through her entire body right now, she felt on fire, even the rain lashing down couldn't cool her down. She moved her lips against his, which he responded to, their kiss so slow and sensual, it was sending shivers right through her.

Nathan never wanted to leave her lips. They were too perfect for him not to be kissing her forever. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in closer to him, feeling her breasts against his chest as her hands started to move into his hair. He needed to feel more of her though, and so he opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue over her lips, asking for entry. He felt Haley's mouth open slightly and so he slipped his tongue into her mouth, searching for hers. He groaned into her mouth when his tongue found hers. This truly was the most amazing kiss ever.

Haley couldn't believe that she was kissing Nathan Scott of all people. Ever since she had first met him, she had been fantasising about this moment, and now that it was actually happening, she couldn't get enough of him. Haley wound her hands further into his hair, pushing his mouth against hers, their tongues still dancing together. She moved her hands from his hair down to his broad shoulders and then ran her fingernails down his back, causing him to groan again.

Nathan was very conscious of the rain pouring down around them and so he opened his eyes for a brief second, seeing that the door to her house was still open, and started to gently walk them towards it, his mouth never leaving hers. He kicked the door shut once they were inside and moved his mouth from her lips; he needed a breather and so rested his forehead against hers, both of them gasping for breath.

He opened his eyes again, looking at her beautiful face again, running his hand over her cheek, which caused her to open her big brown eyes. He moved his gaze from her face, down her body, her chest rising and falling rapidly with her deep breathing. He wanted more of her, he needed more of her. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder behind her back and starting lavishing her neck with feather soft kisses. He felt her lean her head over to the other side, giving him greater access. He found her pulse point and started to suck more forcefully, running his tongue around in small circles, nipping at her flesh, eliciting a moan to escape from Haley's lips, which only fuelled him on further. He could feel himself growing hard from just kissing her, she was absolutely intoxicating.

Haley didn't know that a kiss could feel this amazing. She closed her eyes, happy to have Nathan sucking and licking her all over if that was what he wanted. She couldn't believe that they had wasted so much time, missing out on all this. Nathan's hand gently moved onto her shoulder, as he pulled the strap of her tank top and bra down her arm, and he was now leaving such soft, hot kisses along her shoulder, she was sure she was melting.

She needed to feel his lips on hers again, so she took a hold of his neck and guided his mouth back to hers, this time showing him how much she needed him, intensifying their kissing session further.

Nathan could feel her tongue slide into his mouth, starting to fight with his own for dominance. She sure did know how to kiss. She explored his mouth and then pulled back, leaving hot kisses on his lips before biting down playfully on his bottom lip, and then leaving more hot kisses on him.

She moved her kisses down his jaw line to his neck, biting, sucking and licking every inch of what she could get hold of. Her hands wandered down his back, over those sexy muscles he had and she couldn't help but groan when she found the bottom of his polo shirt and slipped her hands underneath him, feeling his bare body underneath her touch.

Nathan could feel his self control wavering. She had just started kissing her way back to his mouth from his neck, and so he cupped her face, covering her mouth in a hungry kiss. He started to walk them towards the wall, stopping when she was up against it and he lent into her, letting her feel how much he wanted all of her.

Haley groaned again as she felt his hardness press against her. She wanted to see more of him and so as he was attacking her mouth, she slid her hands down his back and over his ass, before allowing her hands to grasp his polo shirt, lifting it up his body. She broke away from his kiss, allowing him to pull the shirt over his head and he flung it to the ground. She couldn't take her eyes off that amazing body. She ran a finger seductively down his bare chest over his muscles, her eyes following her finger down towards his stomach, until she got to the waist band of his jeans, and then she allowed her hands to move around to his back. She bent down slightly, leaving kisses all over his chest. She wanted to taste every inch of him.

Nathan flung his head back, enjoying Haley's ministrations far too much. She was kissing her way back up his body and he lowered his head, capturing her mouth in a searing hot kiss. He moved his hands down her back, and the moved them underneath her tank top, which was so wet it was sticking to her slender body. He ran his hand lightly over her stomach, causing her to flinch at his touch. He broke away from the kiss and looked seductively into her eyes, peeling her tank top off her body and over her head, flinging it to the ground along with his polo shirt.

His lustful gaze travelled from her eyes, over her full lips and down to her breasts, clad in the baby pink lacy bra he had guessed she was wearing from earlier. She had the most fantastic body he had ever seen. He ravaged her mouth again, his hands wandering down her back, over that sexy ass she had. He slowly picked her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her up against the wall. Supporting her with one hand, his other moved along her back, finding her bra strap. He expertly unclasped it and pulled it off her body, throwing it to the ground. He leant back from her, taking in the sight before him. They had to be the most perfect pair of breasts he had ever laid eyes on. He was so hungry for her and before he knew it, he was bending down further, leaving a trail of kissing from her jaw, down her neck, over her shoulder and down towards her gorgeous breasts, taking one in his mouth, running his tongue around her hardened nipple before biting down softly on it, causing Haley to moan his name breathlessly. His free hand was running down her soft sexy leg that was wrapped around him. He brought his hand back up it, his hand following the shapely curves of her leg, going underneath her skirt and up the inside of her thigh. He wanted to feel all of her; he needed to touch her everywhere.

Haley could feel his hand running slowly and teasingly up the inside of her thigh, which was causing her to gasp at his touch, then there were the things his mouth was doing to her breast, which was causing her to moan shamelessly. God did he know how to pleasure a girl. His hand was wandering ever closer to her centre, she was throbbing for him to touch her there, she wanted to feel his fingers gliding in and out of her.

Nathan ran a finger ever so softly up her centre, along her lacy underwear; and he could feel how wet she was for him through it, which caused him to moan into her breast which he was still paying dutiful attention to. Haley gasped sharply at his touch and he smiled to himself, loving the fact that his actions were causing her to react like that; it was such a turn on. He removed his hand from under her skirt and slid it up her stomach to her other breast and started to run his hand around her nipple, pinching it lightly.

Haley was sure she was in heaven right about now; she had never felt this good before. Nathan was touching her so expertly, making her feel things she had never felt in her life, and God did it feel good! She wanted to feel more of him though; she was on fire for him. She took his head in her hands and raised it to hers.

Nathan could see the fire burning in her eyes, one hundred percent sure his were mirroring hers.

She kissed him with as much intensity as she could muster, running her tongue along his lips, letting it slide effortlessly into his mouth, playing with his tongue, before drawing away breathlessly. She cupped his face. "I want you Nathan. All of you." She said sexily while looking into those blue eyes of his. She was so turned on at the moment she knew it wouldn't take much for her to reach the natural high that she so craved.

Nathan looked into her eyes. She was so damn sexy, he loved it when a woman let him know exactly what she wanted, just like Haley was doing now. He breathed deeply, shaking his head at how lucky he was to have found her, how lucky he was to be kissing her and how lucky he was to have her want him in the very same way that he wanted her. He cast his mind back, wondering how the hell he got to be such a lucky bastard, when all of a sudden, Lucas' words came roaring into his head, _'Don't treat her like you've treated all the other girls. She deserves more than that Nathan.' _And Lucas was right. She did deserve better. He dropped his grip on her suddenly, causing Haley to unwrap herself from around him as she lowered herself onto the floor.

"What's the matter Nathan?" Haley asked, still gasping for breath, worried that she had said something she shouldn't have, or worried that something really was wrong with him.

He looked around for his polo shirt and when he spotted it he walked over to where it had been flung to the ground and placed it back over his head, before walking back towards the front door.

"Nathan!" Haley cried out in frustration. There was no way he was about to walk out on her now, surely!?

He turned to look at her. "I'm sorry Hales; I can't do that, not like this." With that, he walked out of the front door and closed it behind him, running back out into the rain to his Aston Martin.

"What the fuck!?" Haley shouted to no one in particular. Talk about being left high and dry! "Bastard." She muttered to herself as she made her way upstairs, _what the hell was his problem?!_

**AN – I'm so sorry guys! I can't wait to read what you think! x**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN – Hey! Thank you so much for the reviews of the previous chapter! It's so funny how some of you are still annoyed at Haley, whereas some of you are mad at Nathan for leaving Haley like he did! I think that's the best thing about writing characters that aren't perfect and still have some learning to do… Anyway, here's chapter nine! x**

**Chapter Nine**

Haley marched up the stairs, stomping hard with her feet on every step, trying to vent some of the anger that was running through her on something other than the wall, which she totally felt like punching right about now. A frustrated woman who was engaged in the kind of foreplay that was leading up to what would probably have been some pretty hot sex, only to have it snatched away by a man, was definitely something nobody wanted to mess with. She was still muttering "bastard" to herself over and over when she finally made it to her bedroom, pulling her skirt down and tossing it on the chair in the corner of her room, now dressed in nothing but her lacy pink panties. She paced along her room quickly, before turning and pacing back the other way. She was so aggravated and definitely sexually frustrated, she had really wanted to get laid tonight!

"Arghhhh!" She cried out, deciding that venting her frustrations through her feet was doing her no good at all. She really wanted to go over to Nathan's right now and give him a piece of her mind. She had no idea what the hell had gotten into him at all, he had just proclaimed how much he liked her and how much he wanted to be with her and then had started to show her exactly what he had meant, he'd seemed totally into it one second, and then it had seemed that a switch had flicked inside of him or something, he just froze up and dropped her to the ground. And to leave without even saying anything after all that, what a bastard he really was!

Haley's breathing still hadn't calmed down; in fact she couldn't remember a time when she was this angry. However, she decided that another shouting match with Nathan was definitely not the answer, so she refrained from running downstairs and getting in her car and driving over to his place. Instead she picked up her phone, deciding a text was probably the best way to go. She opened up a new message and stared blankly at the screen. What the hell was she supposed to say to him?! She didn't have a clue what to write, and so after staring at her phone for a minute, she threw it hard onto her bed.

A bath. That was what she needed. A nice, hot, relaxing bath. Haley shook her head at her phone lying on her bed, mocking her, glaring at it in defeat as she made her way into the en-suite and started running a bath. She lit some candles and placed them around the bath, trying to create a relaxing atmosphere for her to forget all about what had just happened, or rather what didn't happen.

Once Haley was satisfied that the temperature of the water was just right, she peeled her panties off her, cursing herself for wishing that Nathan was the one doing that for her, and stepped into the bath, relaxing into the warm water and bubbles. She closed her eyes as she lent her head along the top of the bath. She could still feel his mouth hot on her neck, nipping, licking and sucking on her flesh. She could feel his mouth move down towards her breast, he was sucking and biting on her nipples now, his hand was wandering up her leg, under her skirt and along her underwear. She opened her eyes suddenly, mentally screaming at herself, at her mind for betraying her good intentions of not thinking about him. God did she want him badly! Looked like tonight was going to be yet another sleepless night after all, and not for the reasons she had originally intended.

~*~

Nathan pulled his car up beside his garage and waited impatiently for the garage door to open. His hand was tapping ferociously on the steering wheel; he swore he must have the slowest garage door known to man! Eventually it opened and he steered his Aston Martin inside of it, turned off the engine and slammed his hands hard on the steering wheel. _What the hell did I just do! _He screamed at himself, shaking his head at how much of a girl he had become.

He wasn't used to being the good guy, the kind of guy who respected women's feelings or the kind of guy who said no to sex when it was practically handed to him on a plate. Nathan was supposed to be the one who never said no! So why was it that Luke's words had come back to haunt him, right when Haley had just said that she had wanted him? _All of him. _He remembered the incredibly sexy tone of her voice when she had said that, the look of pure passion and desire burning in her eyes had him growing hard just at the thought of it.

However, that soon died away when he remembered hearing her shout, "What the fuck!" so loudly and angrily when he had left her. She was pissed, definitely pissed at him. He opened the door to the car and climbed out, walking inside of his house, thinking of nothing but Haley and how much he wanted her, he had actually amazed himself at where the strength to walk away from her when she was half naked, up against a wall with her legs wrapped around him had come from.

Luke was right though. Haley wasn't just some game to him, she wasn't someone he wanted to screw and then forget about the next day. For the first time in his life, Nathan wasn't interested in any other girl. He didn't want to have sex with Haley. He wanted to make love with her, when it was right for the both of them. He would just have to call her tomorrow and explain why he had left her like that, hopefully by then she would have calmed down enough to talk to him.

~*~

The next day, Haley walked into Peyton's office yawning. She hadn't got any sleep last night, her mind flashing images of Nathan kissing her, running his hands all over her, pounding in and out her, all night long.

Peyton raised her head at Haley. "Someone's tired! You have a late one last night?" Peyton asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haley glared at her as she took a seat opposite Peyton. "I couldn't sleep." Haley said as she yawned again.

"Really? Couldn't sleep because you were having some hot sex?!" Peyton teased.

Haley's glare increased in intensity. "I just couldn't sleep." She said through gritted teeth, hoping Peyton would get the hint and drop the subject, the last thing she needed reminding of was the fact that Nathan had left her mid foreplay last night.

Peyton seemed to get the hint and changed the subject to Haley's upcoming schedule.

"So I've kept some time free for a week in a couple of months, I thought you would need it after all the stuff you have coming up." Peyton said enthusiastically.

"Yeah I guess I will." Haley said as she yawned again and sunk down into the seat, wanting nothing more than to curl up and fall asleep, which she unfortunately couldn't do as she was due in the recording studio in half an hour.

"So the recording is coming along well?" Peyton asked.

"Not too bad. I just want to make sure everything is perfect, you know. I've recorded two songs already that I'm completely happy with." Haley responded.

"Well good, I'm glad it's going well. The record label called me and they want you to consider going on tour next year." Peyton said so quickly, Haley wasn't sure she had heard Peyton right.

Haley sat up in her chair. "Peyton, there's no way that I will have the album completed and time to rehearse for a tour next year! You have to tell them I won't be ready!"

Peyton sighed as she looked at Haley. "I don't think they are going to like that."

~*~

Nathan had just finished another gruelling practice. The end of the season was in sight and so the coach was working them extra hard so they would win all their upcoming games and hopefully finish in a decent spot in the tables. He climbed into his car and rested his head on the headrest, closing his eyes for a second. He was absolutely shattered. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, taking a deep breath, deciding that now would be a good time to call Haley, he just wanted to get this out of the way so that they could concentrate on being together.

He heard the phone ringing and braced himself, praying that she wasn't still pissed at him.

~*~

Haley looked at Peyton in shock at what she was telling her. There was no way she would have time to get her album the way she wanted it to be in time for a tour to happen next year as well. She was about to tell Peyton she had to find a way to change this when she heard her phone ringing in her bag. She reached in and pulled it out of the pocket, glancing at the caller ID, her breath catching in her throat. It was Nathan. She sighed to herself, knowing that there was no way she could pick up his call in front of Peyton, and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he had to say anyway. She clicked cancel and placed her phone back in her bag.

~*~

Fuck it was going to voicemail. Nathan hated voicemail. He had no idea what to say! _ Should I explain why I left her last night so quickly in a voicemail?! _ He pondered to himself. _No way! _He thought, but if he just asked her to call him back, would she even bother? He was panicking and he was sure the beep was going to come on any second signalling that he needed to be talking… crap! That was the beep. _Say something you idiot! _"Erm… Haley, it's me… Nathan… Erm, could you call me when you get this… please." He said as he hung up. God he was shit at leaving messages. He flung his phone on the passenger seat and turned the engine on, skidding away heading home while keeping an eye on his phone, hoping Haley would call him back soon.

~*~

Haley could feel her blood boiling; the reminder of Nathan was making her think what he had done to her last night, the anger was flooding back to her. She turned to look at Peyton, knowing she should just shut up and explain calmly why she wasn't going to be ready for the tour, but she was so worked up, she just wanted to get out of her office and get some fresh air, clear her head. "You know what Peyton, either you call the stupid label and tell them that I won't be ready for a tour or I will just do it myself. But last time I checked, you are my manager, and it's your job to do it, so just fucking do what I ask okay?" Haley got up from her seat, took a breath and turned on her heel, stomping out of Peyton's office and decided to walk to the studio; lord knows she needed to clear her head.

Peyton watched Haley's outburst with an amused expression on her face. _Jesus! Haley needs to get laid! _She thought to herself as she shook her head, getting on with her tasks for the day.

~*~

Haley flopped on her bed, glancing at the clock, seeing that it was two o'clock in the morning. The studio had been a complete nightmare, she was definitely not in the mood to be recording, and now with the added pressure of the label wanting the album done much sooner than she had originally anticipated, it all became a little too much for her. The session was probably a complete waste of time. Haley was sure the producers would be erasing anything she had done today, calling her in soon to re-record. She sighed to herself as she pulled her phone out of her bag, realising it was probably too late to call Nathan back now. She had listened to his message, the sound of his voice had melted her anger momentarily, he had such a sexy voice even when he was obviously flustered at having to leave her message! She did think that was kind of cute. She was curious as to why he had run out on her thought, and hopefully he was calling to explain why. She placed the phone on her bed and stripped her clothes off, climbing into bed; praying sleep would come easy for her tonight, unlike the previous couple of nights.

~*~

Lucas watched as Nathan sat slumped over the bar, staring at his phone. He hadn't taken his eyes off it all night; it was obvious he was waiting for a call. "You know, it's not going to ring if you keep staring at it Nathan. You unfortunately don't have some magical powers that will make it ring!" He teased as he continued cleaning up after another hectic night in the bar.

Nathan picked up his shot of whisky and rolled it around in the glass before downing it. "Who the fuck invented voicemail?" He asked Lucas.

"I have no idea."

"Voicemail is shit."

Lucas sighed. "Nathan, do you want to help me clean up instead of mope around?"

"I already told you before. I do not mope."

"Nathan, you are moping. What did you do this time?"

"Nothing. I did exactly as you asked. I didn't fuck her."

"Okay. That's good then." Lucas said while nodding his head in approval, a little shocked that Nathan had managed to show some restraint in that department, he was pretty sure that was a first!

"Is it good?" Nathan asked slightly drunk with a frown forming across his face. "Cos she isn't talking to me anymore."

"I'm sure she is talking to you Nate. Why don't you go home and get some sleep."

"That sounds like a good plan." He slurred as he placed the glass back on the table and stumbled off the stool and walked out of the bar.

~*~

Haley heard her phone ringing from where she had left it in the kitchen and rushed back from where she was watching TV in the lounge, hoping that it was Nathan, being slightly disappointed when she saw Brooke's name flash across the screen.

"Hey Brooke!" Haley answered.

"Haley! I'm bored. Fancy meeting up for coffee?" Brooke asked.

"Gee I'm flattered; you're bored so you call me!" Haley teased.

"I don't mean it like that!"

"I know, sure coffee sounds good. Do you know the place Nathan goes to?"

"Yep sure do. Meet you there in half an hour?"

"Sure."

"Okay, Bye!"

"Bye!" Haley said as she snapped her phone shut and went upstairs to get ready, before grabbing her keys and driving to meet Brooke.

Haley decided to get the coffees ordered seeing as Brooke was nowhere to be seen when she had arrived. She placed herself down at the same table she and Nathan sat at when they came here before. She found her mind wandering again back to him, as it did so often. He was never far from her thoughts. She was still trying to get her head around why he had left her so suddenly, maybe Brooke could shed some light.

"Hey girl, what's with the frown?" Brooke asked as she sat down and took a sip of her coffee. "Thanks for this by the way."

"No problem!" Haley sent Brooke a smile. "Nothing's the matter." She lied.

"Bullshit. I can tell something's bothering you, and if I had to guess I would say that the person who is bothering you is tall, has dark hair, blue eyes… getting warm?"

Haley laughed at how easy to read she obviously was. "Yes, okay, it's him."

"Has he not apologised yet?" Brooke gasped, "Cos if he hasn't then I will go around to his place right now and grab him here by the ear!"

"He apologised Brooke, don't worry, there's no need to assault him!"

"Oh, well then that's good! So what's with the face?"

Haley sighed, deciding she really did want Brooke's advice on this one. "Well after he apologised, we kissed."

Brooke placed her chin in her hands, she loved nothing than a sexy story, and given that Nathan was involved, she had no problems guessing the outcome of what Haley was about to say.

"And one thing led to another…"

"You slept with him right?" Brooke smiled knowingly at her.

"Not exactly…" Haley said as she looked down at the table.

"Oh." Brooke said, confused as hell now, this was Nathan Scott we were talking about; the guy was like a walking, talking sex machine.

Haley sighed before continuing. "Well we were kind of on our way to having, you know, when he just froze up and left."

Brooke's jaw dropped so wide she was sure she was going to hit the table. "I'm sorry, what?!" She screeched.

"He left." Haley said quietly while shaking her head.

"No way, you must be talking about someone else here!"

"I'm serious Brooke!"

Brooke didn't know what to say so she just kept shaking her head, not believing what she had just heard. "I'm confused. Did you say stop or anything?"

"No, I had literally just told him that I basically wanted it right then and there."

Brooke's eyes grew even wider. "That just doesn't make sense! Nathan has sex with anything that moves, invitation or otherwise! I don't understand why if after you had just said that you wanted it, he would leave, that does not sound like the Nathan Scott I know!"

Haley felt her face fall. _Great. _So Nathan Scott has sex with anything that moves apparently, but her. That was just what she didn't want to here. She was now more self-conscious than ever, one hundred percent sure now that it was something she had either said or done that had made him freeze up.

Brooke saw Haley's face change and she knew exactly what she was thinking. "Haley, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that, it's just I don't want to lie to you."

Haley shook her head, feeling the tears start to brim in her eyes. "No, I'm glad you told me the truth Brooke."

Brooke took Haley's hands in hers; cursing herself and her big mouth, surely one day she would learn to think before she spoke!

~*~

Nathan had just got home from practice; he hadn't let his phone out of his sight since he had left Haley that voicemail. By now he was absolutely convinced something was wrong with the damn thing. He unclipped the back and took out the battery and his sim card and blew into his phone, before placing it all carefully back into place. When no missed calls popped up or voicemails he got his home phone and dialled his own number, just to make sure that it was working, silently praying that it wasn't, cursing to himself when his mobile started to ring loud and clear. So she wasn't talking to him.

He decided to call her again, hoping this time she would pick up. He felt his heart rate quicken as he heard the call connect and the ringing in his ears. It rang twice before it went to her voicemail again. He sighed as he hung up, not bothering to leave another message. No one had voicemail that started after two rings, she had definitely cancelled the call, it was official, she was ignoring him.

He felt slightly hurt at that, not wanting to be ignored by her, and frustrated at the same time. All he wanted to do was explain why he had walked out on her, but it seemed she was too pissed at him to even want to listen. He grabbed his basketball and headed out to his court in his back yard, needing to vent his agitation at this whole situation on something and basketball would hopefully do just that.

~*~

The next morning, Haley lay awake in her bed, grateful she didn't have to do any recording today. She felt like absolute shit, Brooke's words still running around in her head. _"Nathan has sex with anything that moves!" _God, why couldn't she just erase that remark from her memory forever! She couldn't be that bad at kissing and stuff surely? She thought back to their encounter, sure that she had heard him moaning while she was kissing and touching him. She had never been told that she was bad in bed, bad at kissing and all those intimate things, in fact she had been praised for it on the most part. She knew that Nathan obviously had a lot more experience at sex that she did, she had read the gossip magazines, but she can't have been that bad! No, she shook her head; it couldn't have been the fact that she wasn't any good at kissing him, so she dismissed that from her brain.

She cast her mind back, thinking about their whole 'relationship', if you could call it that. She remembered all the times that they had seen or spoke to each other, looking for clues as to why he would run away from her like that. She found her mind replaying the argument they had in the limo after she had returned from LA, remembering how Nathan had questioned her about Chase and whether she had slept with him and why she had gone on a second date with him, remembering how angry he was at her talking to Mark in the bar instead of finding him first.

All of a sudden, it clicked. She knew he had been angry at her, and up until now, she hadn't really seen it from his side, instead being so pissed off at the way he was throwing assumptions at her, shouting at her for doing what she knew to be absolutely nothing. But he didn't know that. He had seen the picture of her and Chase at the premiere. If she had seen a picture of him and another girl like that she would have been ridiculously pissed about it. She might not have gone off at him like he had done with her, but she would definitely be thinking that something could possibly be going on between them. Then if she had been waiting for him to return home after being absent for a week, when she had invited him to meet up and he spent the first half an hour chatting to some girl, she would have got jealous, she knew she would have. He must be thinking that she was a total bitch or something! She needed to apologise to him, for she was sure that he must have been wondering what the hell he was doing with her after she had treated him like that, that must have been the reason why he had stopped and walked out. She thought about his parting words, _"I'm sorry Hales; I can't do that, not like this." _It all seemed to fit together.

~*~

Nathan marched into Jake's office and plopped himself in the seat, wondering what the hell he had to say to him this time. As far as he was concerned, this was all a complete waste of time. Why did he always have to come to Jake's office? Couldn't Jake come to him every once in a while?! He started drumming his hands on the arm rests, waiting for Jake to stop typing the stupid e-mail he was sending, or whatever he was doing.

Jake eyed Nathan out of the corner of his eye, sensing the frustration beaming off him. "Jesus Nathan, what happened? Didn't get some last night or something?!" Jake teased as he continued writing his e-mail.

Nathan threw a death glare at Jake. He didn't need reminding of the fact that he had walked away from the most beautiful girl in the world a few nights ago, who was now totally ignoring him. "Why did you call me in here?" Nathan asked irritated, getting right to the point of this stupid meeting.

Jake sniggered. "Obviously not!" He said under his breath.

Nathan heard him. "Do you want to say that again?" Nathan raised his voice, gripping onto the armrest so hard his knuckles were turning white, trying to restrain himself from throwing a punch Jake's way.

"Wow Nate, calm down!" Jake said, throwing his arms in the air, showing Nathan that he really was teasing. When he saw Nathan settle back in his chair, and he sensed that he had calmed down a little he decided to try again. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. What did you want?" Nathan asked, not wanting to divulge the disaster that was him and Haley to Jake. He didn't want to talk about it with anyone.

"I needed you to sign the contract for the new endorsement we agreed last month." Jake said as he placed the thick wad of paper in front of Nathan.

Nathan sighed, wanting nothing more than to sign the stupid contract and get the hell out of Jake's office. "Where do I sign?" He asked.

Jake turned to the back and pointed on the dotted line. "Right here." He said as he eyed Nathan, wondering if he could pry what was bothering him out of him.

Nathan signed the document and stood up to leave.

"Nate." Jake called out, just as Nathan had opened the door.

"That was all you wanted right?" Nathan asked, as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Jake sighed to himself. Nathan was a handful at the best of times but when he got all withdrawn like he was doing now, he knew it was something serious that was bothering him. The phone started ringing so Jake picked it up. "Hello Jake speaking."

"Hi Jake, you're Nathan Scott's manager, right?"

"Yes I am, who is calling please?

"It's Haley James."

A smile spread across Jake's face, instantly connecting the fact that Haley was calling his office and Nathan being in a mood together. "Hi Haley!" Jake greeted her. "How are you?"

"Okay thanks."

"So what can I do for you?" Jake asked, knowing by the tone of her voice that she was calling him for something.

"I was just wondering if you could get me a ticket for Nathan's game this evening." Haley asked, silently praying that Jake could get the ticket for her.

Jake chuckled to himself. "Of course I can. I'll call the arena and ask them to leave it at the box office for you to pick up. Sound okay?"

Haley smiled. "Yes that's perfect, thanks Jake."

"No problem Haley." Jake said as he hung up the phone, maybe Haley could get Nathan out of his mood!

"Bye." Haley said as she hung up the phone, breathing a sigh of relief that she could see Nathan tonight.

~*~

Haley sat in her seat twiddling her fingers. She was so nervous at seeing him again, on a whole other level than the first time she had come to see him play. At least when she had seen him play before, he had invited her here himself, he had wanted her to be here. She was dreading the evil he would send her way if he saw her and didn't want her to be there watching him, she didn't think she would be able to handle that. She shook her head at herself as she remembered the battle she'd had with her wardrobe that evening, her bedroom looked like a bomb had hit it, clothes were sprayed everywhere. Eventually she had settled for a pair of tight fitting white jeans and a deep blue top. She looked around the arena as it filled with fans, glancing at the clock. Thank God the game would be starting soon; the anticipation of seeing him was almost too much for her to take at the moment.

~*~

Nathan stalked his way back into the locker rooms, checking his phone one last time before he locked it away, and yet again, there was nothing from Haley there. He slammed his locker door shut, trying to let out some of his frustration before he hit the court, knowing it would only be him who would suffer for it in the end.

His teammates knew he was pissed. Nathan heard two of them muttering to themselves about him in a corner. He turned to give them an evil glare. "Do you two want to say that louder so I can actually hear you?" He barked at them.

They looked away sheepishly, knowing better than to snap back at an already pissed off Nathan Scott.

Nathan slammed his fist into the locker. He shouldn't be letting Haley get to him like this. All he wanted to do was explain himself, and she didn't seem to want to listen to him. He didn't want to keep calling her either, he had left a message asking her to call him back and then called again, which would have meant that she would have got a missed call message at least. The ball was in her court now. He needed to get his head in this game he was about to play and block her from his thoughts. He knew in all seriousness that blocking Haley from his thoughts would never happen, but he had to at least try. He couldn't help not being bothered about this game though, Haley wasn't talking to him and that was the only thing that mattered to him at the moment.

After the team pep talk, Nathan walked onto the court, keeping his head down. He didn't want to bother with the crowd tonight, he just wanted to get this stupid game over and done with so he could go and check his phone again, maybe Haley will call him during the game and leave a message or something.

Haley watched as Nathan walked onto the court, his eyes glued to the floor. She could tell from his body language that he wasn't really into the game; she just hoped that he would get more into it as time went on.

Half time had been and gone and Nathan still wasn't playing very well at all. His coach had just called a time out. Haley watched at the Knicks players, Nathan included, sauntered over to the bench. Haley could hear their coach shouting at them from where she was sitting. He had just started laying into Nathan for not racking up enough points. He had a point to be fair; Haley had seen Nathan play twice before and tonight was not the best example of what he was capable of, that was for sure.

Nathan blocked out what the coach was saying to him, he couldn't really give a shit at the moment, his brain wasn't in the game at all, he kept thinking of Haley and how he could get her to talk to him. He walked back into the centre of the court, deciding to look around for a second, trying to gauge the crowd's reaction to the game when he saw her sitting on his left hand side. His brain stopped working for a second, he wasn't sure what to think of the fact that she was here. She looked stunning as always, dressed in some tight white jeans that clung to the curves of her legs. She had such sexy legs.

Haley saw him looking at her and gave him a nervous wave and smiled shyly at him. He seemed to acknowledge her being there by raising his eyebrows at her and throwing that infamous Scott smirk her way, the very one that had Haley's insides churning. She loved that smirk. She couldn't help but giggle to herself that he had thrown it her way and at least that meant that he wasn't too angry at her she reasoned with herself, that calmed her down ever so slightly.

The buzzer had just sounded and the Knicks had won, only just. Nathan had scored the winning basket which had caused the crowd to go absolutely wild, Haley included. She watched as he lapped up the applause from his teammates and the crowd, finding his eyes. He mouthed that he would be out as soon as he could and Haley nodded her head, letting him know that she would wait for him as she sat back down in her seat while the teams went back to the locker room.

Haley fiddled with her hair as she waited for Nathan, she was extremely nervous and apprehensive about what was going to happen between them next. She really really liked him, that much she knew, but she wasn't too sure what he felt about her, especially after the way she had been acting lately, throwing what could have been interpreted as complete mixed signals. Then there was the whole fact of him not wanting to have sex with her the other night. Everything was so complicated!

She stood up when she heard footsteps coming from the tunnel, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him, dressed so sexily in one of those tight fitting polo shirts that she absolutely loved on him. "Hey." She said to him. "Great game."

Nathan laughed. "Hey, and you must be joking, it's a good job I got the winning basket, given the way I had been playing at the start of the game I'm pretty sure Coach would have crucified me if I hadn't got the points on the board!"

Haley smiled at him. "Well I thought you played great."

Nathan smiled back at her, unsure of what to say next, unsure of how to bring up the subject of the other night without her getting all pissed at him again, so he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and looked at the ground beside him.

Haley fiddled with her hair and bit her lip. The silence between them was getting more and more awkward.

"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time and laughed.

Haley decided to go first. "Nathan. I'm so sorry if you think I was leading you on. I know that the whole Chase thing can't have been easy for you, especially given the way things were developing between the two of us. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the second time I went out with him, I shouldn't have lied to you. As for Mark, honestly, I had just arrived at the bar and couldn't see you anywhere, and I spotted Brooke at the bar and so went to talk to her, when he started talking to us. It was completely innocent I swear, I was not flirting with him, we were just chatting. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand why you got mad at me in the limo and I understand if nothing can happen between us now."

"Why do you say nothing can happen between us Haley?" Nathan said confused and a bit worried about why she was saying such things.

"You walked out on me the other night! I know it must have been because you were so confused and angry at me for what I had done, so I understand if you don't want me anymore…"

"Hales, I didn't walk out on you because of any of that, but thank you for explaining that all to me calmly! I don't think we have been very good at communicating with each other!"

"Yeah, I don't think we have been that good at talking to each other either." Haley said as she looked up at Nathan, waiting for him to explain why he walked out on her, if it wasn't for the way she had been acting, she didn't know what the problem had been.

Nathan took a deep breath as he started to explain things to Haley. "Hales, you know I have a bit of a reputation when it comes to girl's right? I've always been the kind of guy who basically sleeps around, doesn't really give a shit about anyone but himself. But then I met you and that all changed. I care so much about you Haley, so much that it scares me sometimes. And I don't want to be the guy I was before Haley, because you deserve to have someone who does care about you, someone who treats you right. And that's what I'm trying to do. I don't want to have sex with you just because of some fleeting moment; I want to have sex with you because it feels right, for the both of us. I don't ever want you to doubt me or my feelings for you. And as for not wanting you, believe me, I do want you, so badly, but I want to do this properly. Okay?" Nathan looked at Haley, waiting expectantly for her reaction.

Haley listened intently to what Nathan had just said. He really was the most wonderful person ever and she couldn't keep the smile from her face. Once she was sure he had finished, she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his mouth into hers, placing a light kiss on his lips. "You are amazing, do you know that?" She smiled at him.

Nathan smiled back at her, so relieved that she had kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her softly, before pulling away, looking into her beautiful eyes. "Are you free Saturday?" He asked her.

"I am free on Saturday." Haley said as she smiled at him, she was never happier than when she was wrapped up in his arms.

"Would you like to go on a date with me, Haley James?" Nathan asked her.

Haley couldn't help but giggle at him.

Nathan smiled back at her. "I told you I wanted to do this properly!"

Haley leaned back into him and placed a kiss on his lips. "Of course I will go on a date with you."

Nathan smiled as he covered her lips with his own, pulling her in a close as was possible, while running his tongue over her lips, seeking entry into her mouth, and when he felt her mouth open slightly, his tongue wandered into her mouth, seeking her own. He had never been happier, so glad that he and Haley were now officially both on the same page, at last!

**AN – I can't wait to read what you all thought of the chapter! x**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN – Hey! Aw thanks again for the reviews of the last chapter, you guys all do really say the most amazing things and I'm so glad that you guys are all happy now that Nathan and Haley have sorted through some of their issues and finally talked rationally with each other! I know that it took rather a long time for them to get to this point! As I said before, I love writing characters where they have some growing and learning to do… especially when it comes to love, which is definitely true for Nathan in this story given that he has never really had a girlfriend before. That's definitely not to say that now that they have talked they aren't going to face more problems, there's plenty more drama to come… but I'm not going to give anymore away on the plot for this story, you'll all have to keep reading! **

**And on a completely different note, my fiancé and I have just put up our Christmas tree today so I'm feeling all festive! I love this time of year!**

**Anyway, on with the story, hope you all like this chapter (eek 10 already – that's crazy!)! x**

**Chapter Ten**

Haley rolled over in her king size bed, bringing the covers up and tucking them further around and underneath her, trying to stay warm and comfortable for as long as she could. She rolled back around to where she had been lying originally, trying to get back to the warm spot she had just left, her mind waking up ever so slowly but she wasn't ready to open her eyes yet, she was still far too tired. She groaned to herself when she realised she wasn't going to get anymore sleep and her mind soon woke up fully. She suddenly jolted up in bed, pulled the covers off her and glanced at the clock. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and best of all, it was finally Saturday. The week had dragged and dragged since she had last seen Nathan, she had literally been counting down the days, hours and minutes until she could see him for their date tonight. They had been in touch via text during the week, but they still hadn't finalised any of their plans for tonight yet and Haley was excited as to what he had planned for them, in fact excited was probably and understatement, she was sure she was going to explode! She jumped out of bed, knowing that she was going to have to keep herself busy today otherwise the day would drag like anything, so she decided to go for a run, and begun to search the depths of her closet for her running clothes, finding her shorts and sports top right in the corner underneath a pile of jeans, she definitely had a ton of energy she needed to work off!

Having been on a run for five miles, Haley opened her front door and felt like dying on her hallway carpet, she was totally worn out! She managed to haul herself upstairs, not quite sure where the burst of energy to do that had come from, and peeled her shorts and sports top off and flung them in her washing basket, then walked into her en-suite and turned her shower on, stepping under the scorching hot water, letting the water soothe her now aching muscles after the ridiculously long run she had just been on.

After standing under the shower for about half an hour, relaxing and enjoying the massage the shower head was giving her back, and having used all the available hot water, Haley stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, then walked into her closet, opening her drawers searching for some underwear. She settled for a matching satin turquoise set, and then proceeded to find her teal coloured strappy top she could wear during the day which matched the bra she currently had on, only to be interrupted by her phone ringing. She ran downstairs where she had left her phone on charge while she had been out running and picked it up, "Hello." She said while trying to get her breath back.

"Hey Hales, it's me. Are you okay you sound kind of out of breath?" Nathan asked, wondering why she was panting down the phone at him.

Haley smiled at the sound of his voice, she couldn't help it, whenever he spoke with her she had a grin on her like a Cheshire cat. "I'm fine Nathan, just got out of the shower and had to run downstairs to catch the phone!" Haley explained the reason why she was out of breath.

"The shower huh?" Nathan said sexily, getting more than a little excited. "So what are you wearing now then?"

Haley could already feel herself blushing and she hadn't even responded to his question yet! She debated lying to him, telling him that she was already fully dressed, but what where would be the fun in that?! "Underwear." She replied in a tone that matched Nathan's equally as she fiddled nervously with her hair and chewed down on her lip, she wasn't usually this forward on the phone.

Nathan groaned down the phone, the image of Haley dressed in that baby pink bra she had been wearing last week came flashing through his mind. "Is it the baby pink lacy one?" He asked huskily.

Haley giggled to herself, knowing fore well which one he was thinking about. "No actually, it's a turquoise satin set."

"Sounds very, very sexy." Nathan closed his eyes, the image of Haley up against the wall with her legs wrapped around him was flashing through his mind, only he substituted the baby pink bra she had been wearing that day for the satin turquoise one she had just told him about. Boy did she look hot in his head right now!

Haley just laughed nervously at him, unsure of what to do now, or how to respond to what he had just said.

Nathan shook himself from his naughty thoughts, pleased that he would be able to see her tonight at least, even if he didn't get the chance to see her underwear! "So tonight…" Nathan started.

"Yep, tonight!" Haley said, unable to control the giddiness in her voice. God she was going to have to calm down, at this rate she really was going to burst and then there would be nothing left of her by the time the evening came!

"What did you want to do? I haven't booked anything cos I wanted to talk to you first, I wasn't sure if you wanted to go to a restaurant or not." Nathan asked.

"Well we could do, if you know any restaurants in New York that wouldn't be crowded with paparazzi once we had both walked in?" Haley asked, knowing fore well that there was no chance in hell of that happening. "I haven't told my manager about us yet, so I'm not sure if going to a restaurant is such a good idea."

"Yeah I haven't told mine yet either." Nathan responded while raking his brain for something else they could do where they wouldn't be hounded by the press. "Okay how about this, why don't you come over to my place at say eight and we'll eat dinner here?"

"That sounds good!" Haley responded, pleased that Nathan seemed to understand the whole press thing, America's Pop Princess and the NBA Superstar on a date would make a lot of magazines a lot of money, and after the picture the press already had of them together at the first basketball game she had been too, Haley didn't want to add any more fuel to the fire, not yet at least. She just wanted to enjoy being with Nathan for a while before the world got their claws into their relationship.

"Good, so I shall see you then!"

"Okay, bye Nathan."

"See you tonight Hales."

Haley hung up her phone and jumped in the air about ten times clapping her hands together. Once satisfied that she had released yet more energy that had seemed to build so easily inside of her, she ran back upstairs to her wardrobe, wanting to pick out what she was going to wear tonight now, knowing that if she didn't do it now, she would only spend hours later chopping and changing outfits.

Haley walked through her rails and rails of clothes, not finding anything that she wanted to wear at all for tonight. She didn't even know what she should wear?! Should she wear a fancy dress or something similar that she would have worn had they been going out to a nice restaurant? But this was just dinner at his house, so surely something more casual would be more appropriate? But this was their first official date, she wanted to look nice! Haley sighed to herself in frustration, knowing that she needed to go shopping to buy something, but she wanted some company and advice, so pulled out her phone and scrolled down to Brooke.

"Haley!" Brooke said as she answered the phone.

"Hey Brooke. I need your help, it's a clothes crisis." Haley said.

"Ooh, I am so good in a clothes crisis, what's up?"

"Well, I'm going around to Nathan's tonight for dinner and I have no clothes!" Haley whined.

"Seriously, you're going to Nathan's for dinner?! Why wouldn't you just go out to a restaurant?" Brooke enquired.

"Cos we don't want the whole world knowing about us yet and you know the minute the press gets wind that Nathan and I are on a date together, wherever we are will be swamped with photographers. So you up for the shopping trip?" Haley explained.

"Sure am."

"Okay, I'll get a car to come to mine and pick you up on the way in, say in about half an hour?"

"Sounds good Haley!"

"Okay, see you in a bit." Haley said as she hung up the phone and pulled some jeans and her teal coloured top on her. Even the thought of trying on a gazillion different items of clothing couldn't wipe that grin off her face!

~*~

Nathan hung up the phone an instantly regretted the words that had just spewed out of his mouth. He didn't have a clue how to cook and he had just said that he and Haley would have dinner at his place, which inevitably meant that some sort of cooking was going to be involved. Nathan could barely fry an egg. He contemplated getting a takeout from somewhere and claiming that he had cooked it all himself, but decided against it. If he was going to do things properly with Haley like he wanted to, then he would cook for her, he wasn't going to cheat with a takeout, even if it was probably in her best interests that he went with that option, she would probably end up being sick or something after eating anything he had tried to cook!

He grabbed his car keys and headed to the supermarket, wanting to sort out what he was supposedly going to cook early so he gave himself enough time to get it right.

He pulled into the car park of the local supermarket and put on his cap, not really wanting to be recognised today, he just wanted to go in and get out as quickly as possible.

He walked straight to the book aisle and searched the recipe books for something that looked relatively simply to make but looked good, given that he had no cooking books in his house at all. He decided to make a salad for starters, a chicken dish for the main course and then he'd buy a dessert, because looking at the recipe book, all the cakes looked far too complicated and also took far too much time to make.

He pushed his trolley along the aisles, leaving the recipe book open on the pages that showed what he was going to cook tonight, making sure he got all the ingredients he needed, picked up a couple of bottles of wine and headed to the checkouts, pleased that he hadn't been stopped and asked for any autographs or pictures, he really wasn't in the mood today, he was far too anxious about this evening to have to worry about any fans.

He paid for the shopping and headed out to his car, feeling rather pleased with himself that he had managed to get all the shopping done with no major problems. He pulled his phone out and sent Haley a text, letting her know that he was thinking of her and told her how much he was looking forward to seeing her later, before speeding away in his car, heading home.

~*~

Haley and Brooke stepped out of the car onto Fifth Avenue getting ready to begin the search for the perfect outfit for Haley to wear tonight. She was still confused as hell as to how she should dress. "So what do you think I should be wearing tonight then?" She asked Brooke, wanting her advice on her dilemma.

"I say you wear the kind of thing you would wear if you were going out to a restaurant, better to be over dressed than under dressed, and plus, I so want to have you trying on a load of gorgeous dresses!" Brooke responded as they walked towards what would no doubt be the first of many shops they would be going into this morning.

There were photographers already lining the street, waiting for the celebrities to show. The flashing started as Haley and Brooke walked down the street, literally blinding both of them. Haley kept her head down and walked into the first shop, shaking her head at the photographers. What the hell was so interesting about her going shopping for crying out loud?! Every normal person had to do it too!

After walking into the sixth shop, Haley was beginning to get bored of trying on dresses. She wasn't even sure if she should be wearing a dress tonight, all the ones Brooke was picking out for her were way too dressy for a dinner. Haley decided to put her foot down when Brooke handed her yet another floor length dress for her to try on. "Brooke, I really think this is way too much for a dinner at a house."

Brooke screwed her face up in confusion. "But it's gorgeous!"

"I know, I just don't think its right for tonight. What about some shorter length dresses?" Haley suggested to Brooke.

"Okay, you wait in the changing room and I'll go and pick a couple of short length dresses." Brooke said as she wandered out of the changing area towards the front of the shop again, hunting through the rails of clothes.

Haley sat down on the seat in the changing area, wondering what type of dress Brooke was picking out for her now, hoping that it was something more appropriate for tonight. She was getting a tad bored now; she just wanted to find something so she could leave!

Five minutes later Brooke rushed back into the changing room with two dresses. "Okay, I already know that this dress is the one but I got this other one just in case you didn't like it." Brooke handed the two dresses to Haley. "Go on, try them on, but try this one on first!" She said while holding out the dress she had said was 'the one' for Haley, as she closed the curtain and waited outside for Haley to change into the dress she had chosen for her.

Haley put the dress on and walked out of her cubicle, hearing Brooke gasp at her.

"Oh Haley, its perfect!" Brooke said as she turned Haley towards the mirror so she could see for herself.

Haley studied herself in the mirror. She had to hand it to Brooke, the dress was gorgeous. It was midnight blue and silky, clinging to her in all the right places, with a black satin belt that tied in a bow around the waist, showing enough cleavage to be tasteful and show off her curves. Haley turned around, looking at her back. "It's nice Brooke, but I couldn't wear a bra with it, cos it goes down so far at the back and you can see my underwear lines!"

"Well just don't wear any underwear then Haley!" Brooke said to her as if it was such an obvious suggestion. "There is no way you aren't getting this dress, it looks amazing on you."

Haley sighed. There was no way she wasn't going to wear any underwear, no bra she could deal with, but no panties, she would never leave the house like that! She was sure she had some of those invisible panties somewhere in a drawer at home which would hopefully do the trick. "Okay I'll get it." She smiled at herself in the mirror again, flattening out the dress. It really was a beautiful dress and even she had to admit, she looked good in it too!

"Nathan is going to go crazy when he sees you in it! I bet he won't be able to keep his hands off you!" Brooke said as she winked at Haley.

Haley laughed and blushed at Brooke's insinuations, knowing that his hands probably weren't going to be doing any wandering tonight, not after what he had said to her the last time they had met.

"You're so cute the way you blush all the time Haley! So how is the sex?" Brooke asked, never being one to beat around the bush.

Haley looked down at the floor. "We're taking it slow."

Brooke scoffed. "Yeah right, Nathan Scott only has one speed Haley! How long have you know him now, a couple of months right and especially after what happened between you two last week, you must have had sex by now?! You were half way there the last time we met up, so I'm guessing that you've gone the whole way now."

"Honestly Brooke we haven't had sex! He wanted to take it slow; he said the most amazing things to me too when he told me that." Haley gushed, remembering what he had said to her.

Brooke laughed. "Nathan said he wanted to take it slow?! Yeah right, and I just saw a pig flying past the window!"

Haley shook her head at Brooke as she made her way to the cash register to pay for the dress. Nothing anybody could say at the moment would change her mind about Nathan, he was perfect and obviously respected her a lot, which she more than appreciated. She reached into her bag, pulling out her phone with her purse, seeing that she had a text from Nathan. She smiled as she read the message; he really was so sweet, saying how he was looking forward to seeing her later. She messaged him back, saying that she too couldn't wait to see him, and she really couldn't!

~*~

Nathan found himself on his hands and knees searching through all his cupboards in the kitchen of his house. He could have sworn he had bought a big pan when he had first moved into this house; he just now had no idea where the hell he had put the damn thing. This was the last cupboard he had left to look in, having already rooted through the rest. This whole dinner thing was turning into a complete disaster, especially as he couldn't even find the damn pot he needed, which only added to the pressure he was already feeling since he had to still cook the whole stupid thing yet! He reached his long arm into the back of the cupboard and pulled out what he hoped would be the pan that he was looking for, sighing in relief when he saw that it was.

He got up from the floor, pan in hand and looked around the kitchen, it literally looked like a bomb had hit it! He sighed as he left the pan on the stove and shoved everything he had taken out of the cupboards back in. Once satisfied that the kitchen looked reasonably tidy, he glanced at the clock and decided he should make a start on this dinner business.

He opened up the recipe book and made a start on the chicken. He did as the recipe said and heated up the pan before placing the chicken inside. The recipe book said it should take ten to fifteen minutes to cook, so he decided to leave it for ten minutes, go and watch some basketball on the TV and come back to check on it.

Ten minutes later, the kitchen was full of smoke. _SHIT. _He walked in, coughing as he waded his way through the smoke and turned the heat off, grabbing the smoking pan and taking it off the hob. He picked up the pan and turned the chicken over in the pan, seeing that it was completely black on the underside. "What the fuck!?" He shouted out as he threw the pan back down, he'd not even been gone for the full time the stupid recipe book had said the chicken needed! He glanced back at the recipe book, wondering what the hell had gone wrong, when he read the line underneath the one which stated the chicken needed ten to fifteen minutes, _turn the chicken halfway through cooking, _the book glared at him. Nathan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. This was not going well. He sighed as he picked up his phone and scrolled to her number.

"Hello."

"Brooke, it's me. I need your help."

Brooke laughed. "Let me guess, the cooking isn't going too well?"

"How did you know I was cooking?" Nathan asked, incredibly confused as to how Brooke knew what he was doing.

"Haley told me all about your date when we went shopping earlier. Truth be told, I'm surprised you didn't call me earlier!"

"Well can you help?" Nathan asked her desperately.

"Sure, I'll be over in ten minutes."

"Thank you so much! Oh and Brooke, can you bring me two chicken breasts with you please?" Nathan asked. "I kind of burnt the ones I had bought."

Brooke laughed at him. "Sure."

~*~

Haley had just stepped out of her bath and wrapped a towel around herself as she blew out the candles she had placed around the bathroom. She was totally relaxed from the bath but was still so giddy about tonight. She brushed her teeth and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, laughing at the grin that seemed to be permanently etched on her face whenever she thought of Nathan.

She wandered out of the en-suite to her walk-in wardrobe, searching through the drawers for those damn invisible panties she had bought a couple of years ago. She took the whole drawer out and placed it on top the chair, giving her better access to search for them. She eventually found them and placed them on herself, then walked up to the gorgeous dress she had just bought which was hanging proudly over the door. She placed it over her head and wrapped the bow around her, before walking up to the full length mirror, turning around to check that no underwear lines could be seen through the dress.

She sighed to herself. So much for being invisible! You could still see the stupid line through the dress, which was totally unflattering. She shook her head as she pulled the not-so-invisible panties down and stepped out of them, just to see what the dress looked like with no visible lines. She turned around and looked at her ass, and saw that the dress looked so much better without those ugly lines showing. She looked down at the knickers which were piled in a heap on the floor, and then glanced back at her ass in the mirror, her reflection mocking her, daring her to leave the panties off. She chewed on her lip and she whirled around, glaring at herself in the mirror. "Fine. You win!" She shouted to her reflection as she walked over to her shoe rack and pulled out a pair of shoes which matched the colour of her dress, not believing that she was daring to leave the house commando style!

She walked over to her dressing table and started putting on her make up and curled her hair into waves, letting her honey-blonde locks fall loosely down past her shoulders and picked out some jewellery to wear. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she skipped downstairs waiting for the car to arrive to take her to Nathan's.

~*~

"Nathan! Keep your grubby hands off this please!" Brooke admonished him as she slapped his hand away from the pan she was cooking in. "If you keep picking you won't eat anything when Haley gets here."

"I know but it's really good!" Nathan mumbled with his mouth full of food.

"Well good, I'm glad you like it, but stop!"

"Fine!" Nathan huffed as he sat down on one of his stools as he watched Brooke whizz around the kitchen, and started playing with his hands, as he glanced at the clock, seeing that Haley would be here in half an hour.

"You're nervous!" Brooke cooed as she threw a look at Nathan over her shoulder from where she was standing at the stove.

"No I'm not." Nathan threw back at Brooke, trying more than anything to convince himself of the fact that he wasn't nervous, trying to still those butterflies that were pounding away in his stomach.

"Yes you are!" Brooke smiled at him. "I've never seen you like this before, it's cute! You really like her, huh?"

Nathan was still fiddling with his hands. "Yeah I do." He confessed honestly.

"I'm glad you do, Haley is a lovely person." Brooke said as she turned around to face Nathan.

"She is, you know, I've never felt like this about anyone before. All I want to do is make her happy and be with her as much as I can." Nathan admitted quietly, as he lifted his head and looked at Brooke, blushing ever so slightly at his admission.

Brooke smiled warmly at him. "Well from what she has told me, you do make her happy."

Nathan's smile grew wider, pleased that Brooke had told him that, it was good to know that he was doing this right, all this dating malarkey was foreign to him. He started daydreaming about Haley, her smile, her eyes, that fantastic body. He was totally enchanted by her.

"Come on superstar, you've only got twenty minutes to get ready before Haley gets here, so get a move on!" Brook shooed him up off the stool and out of the kitchen.

Nathan peeked over her shoulder at all the pots and pans that were on the stove, not really wanting to leave the food unattended. "Don't burn the food please Brooke, I want this evening to be perfect."

Brooke smiled at him and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "GO!" She said as she shut the kitchen door in his face, he was totally smitten with Haley!

~*~

Nathan rushed down the stairs when he saw that he only had five minutes to get the table ready. He grabbed the candles he had picked up from the supermarket earlier and placed them in the centre of the table, lighting them with some matches, along with the flowers he had picked up too and raced into the kitchen. "How's it going Brooke?" He asked as he rushed to the drawer which housed the cutlery.

"Fine, it's all good to go."

"Good." Nathan said as he picked out the cutlery he needed, grabbed some napkins and rushed back into the dining room, placing them on the table before running back into the kitchen.

"I've written down how long you need to reheat the food for when you decided to eat okay, just follow the instructions, it will only need a minute or two." Brooke instructed Nathan as she grabbed her bag and car keys.

"Okay, thanks so much for doing this for me Brooke."

"No problem." Brooke smiled at him. "Just calm down Nathan, she really likes you, you know, there's no need to be so nervous!"

Nathan returned Brooke's smile as he watched her walk out of his house, leaving him alone. He walked over to the instructions she had left and read them. All he had to do was put the heat on and stir, he could do that surely without ruining the whole dinner.

He heard the doorbell ring and his heart rate started to quicken and his palms begun to sweat. He took a deep breath as he walked out of the kitchen towards the front door, the anticipation of seeing her again increasing with every step he took. He ran his hands along his jeans and opened up the door, to find Haley standing in front of him, looking absolutely stunning, she was so beautiful she took his breath away. He found his eyes running the entire length of her body, the dress she had on accentuated every curve of her body, her breasts looked fantastic, as did her legs.

Haley watched as his eyes ran up and down her body, feeling the heat from his gaze on every inch of her. She found her own eyes doing the same, running down his body. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans and looked so sexy. She found his eyes and smiled.

"You look amazing Hales." Nathan said, eventually filling the silence that had fallen on the both of them.

"Thank you, so do you." Haley returned the compliment and stepped inside his house as Nathan closed the door behind her.

He walked into the lounge and Haley followed, and she sat herself down next to him on the sofa.

"Do you want a glass of wine or something?" Nathan asked her. He was so nervous, he was sure Haley would be able to hear the thumping of his heart, it was beating so damn loudly, he needed to go and calm down and get his head together.

"Yes please, wine would be great." Haley smiled at him, her nerves also almost getting the better of her.

"I'll be right back." Nathan walked out of the lounge into the kitchen and lent against the counter, breathing deeply. He was so enthralled by her he almost forgot to breath when he was around her, especially when she looked as sexy as she did right now. He couldn't think of anything other than the fact that he wanted to peel that incredibly hot dress off her so slowly and relish in uncovering her beautiful body. He walked over to the fridge and allowed the cool air to calm his body temperature down for a second, then pulled the wine out of the fridge, grabbed the bottle opener and two glasses, and then walked back into the lounge.

He sat himself next to Haley again and uncorked the wine, pouring both himself and Haley a large glass, he didn't know about her but he definitely needed it! He handed a glass to Haley and watched as she took a large gulp, smirking to himself, happy that it wasn't just him who was so incredibly nervous about tonight.

Haley watched him over her wine glass, seeing that sexy smirk spread across his face. He looked so damn hot when he did that. "What?" She asked as she rested the wine glass on her thigh.

Nathan took a sip of the wine and turned to her. "Nothing."

"Come on, you have that smirk you do on your face, which definitely means it isn't nothing!"

"Honestly, it's nothing." Nathan said, not wanting to admit he was laughing at how nervous they both seemed to be and so quickly changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving!" Haley stated as she turned and smiled shyly at him.

"Well come on, I'll go and get dinner sorted." Nathan declared as he got up from the sofa, motioning for Haley to follow him, which she did as he led her into the dining room.

Haley took in the table covered in candles and spotted her favourite flowers in the centre. "You remembered my favourite flower!" She gushed as she turned to look at him, complete amazement written all over her face, she couldn't believe that he had remembered something she had told him after the first basketball game she had been to watch him play in. He really was so sweet.

"Of course I did Hales; I remember everything you told me!" Nathan smiled as he pulled out a chair for Haley and waited for her to take her seat.

Haley smiled at him as she sat down in the seat and placed her wine on the coaster.

"I'll be back with dinner in a couple of minutes okay?" Nathan said as he leant down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, unable to resist her, breathing in her intoxicating scent as he lingered his mouth by her cheek, before pulling away and heading into the kitchen.

Haley placed her hand on her cheek once Nathan had walked out of the dining room and grabbed her wine glass with the other, gulping down the half filled glass she had left. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but she needed the wine to calm herself down.

~*~

"Oh my gosh Nathan, that was so yummy!" Haley said as she licked her spoon and placed it back onto the plate, which was now so clean it probably wouldn't even need washing up.

"Ah, you say that about the one thing that wasn't hand made!" Nathan shook his head teasingly at her.

Haley smiled at him. "The whole dinner was amazing Nathan, thank you so much. I can't believe that you can cook like that!"

"Honestly, I had some help." Nathan responded while bowing his head in shame.

Haley laughed at him. "Who helped you then, cos whoever did sure knows how to cook an amazing dinner!"

"It was Brooke." Nathan confessed. "I was going to do it by myself and started but I burnt the chicken, then realised I was completely out of my depth so called in the reinforcement. Honestly you should be glad I did though, cos if I had cooked it all myself I'm sure you would have ended up getting sick!"

Haley giggled at his revelation and brought her wine glass up to her lips, eyeing him sexily over it. "I'm sure your version would have been just as delicious."

Nathan smiled at her. That giggle she had got to him every time. He felt the urge to completely ravage her then and there, throw the plates onto the floor, lay her down on the table and show her exactly how much she drove him crazy. But he fought it, not wanting to throw mixed signals at her after he had just told her he wanted to take things slowly with her. He noticed her wine glass was now empty and looked at the bottle that was in the wine cooler, seeing that the bottle was also empty. "You want some more wine?" He asked her.

"Sure." Haley responded.

Nathan cleared the dessert plates away and carried the empty wine bottle into the kitchen, retrieved another out of the fridge and uncorked it, before walking back into the dining room, seeing that Haley wasn't there anymore. He wandered into the lounge and saw her looking at some of the pictures him Mom had insisted he put up around the house when he had first moved in, to give it a supposedly homey feel. He watched Haley for a while, leaning against the door. She had one arm stretched along her side, the other crossed over her chest, her hand rubbing her arm. She had her back to him and he found himself staring at her incredibly sexy ass. The dress was incredible, it really did cling to her every curve, and the way it dipped down at the back, revealing the fact that she was definitely not wearing a bra had him growing incredibly hard.

He walked over to where she had placed the wine glasses on the table and poured the wine into them, the noise causing Haley to turn around.

"You and Lucas look so cute in this picture!" She said as she pointed to an incredibly goofy picture of them both at the beach.

Nathan laughed at the picture she was pointing at. "I have my mother to thank for placing these all around the house."

"I love pictures like that though, the ones which are completely natural, you can see how much fun the two of you were having in that moment." Haley said while still being enthralled by the picture of Nathan and his brother.

Nathan couldn't take not kissing her anymore, he had restrained himself this whole evening, but it was all becoming too much for him to take.

Haley turned around to face him and caught the desire burning in his eyes, causing her to blush and look away from him as she tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to keep her hands busy.

Nathan smirked at her, he loved it when she blushed, it was a total turn on. "Come here." He said sexily, unable to hold back from her anymore, reaching his arm out and pulling her to him from around her waist. He stared into her brown eyes when she was closer to him, reaching a hand up to run his hand softly down her face. "You're so sexy, you know that?" He said huskily as he leaned down, his lips being drawn forcefully to hers.

Haley closed her eyes as she felt his lips connect with hers and groaned at the contact. His mouth started to move against hers, which she responded to and it wasn't soon before she felt his tongue run along her lips. Haley wrapped her hands around his neck, opening her mouth for him as she ran her fingernails lightly along the base of his neck.

Nathan groaned into her mouth when he felt his tongue tangle with hers. He couldn't keep his hands still, running them up and down the part of her back that was exposed by her dress while the feeling of her fingernails running along the back of his neck was driving him crazy.

Haley retracted her mouth from his and kissed her way down his jaw towards his neck, she was insatiable when it came to him, her mouth was uncontrollable, she couldn't get enough of the taste of him, the smell, everything about him drew her to him, his skin was like a magnet for her lips. She bit, nipped and sucked her way down his neck, his groaning fuelling her further, as she kissed her way back up towards his mouth.

Nathan could feel her mouth moving back up towards his, but she was teasing him, placing more and more hot kisses along his jaw, his cheek, getting closer to his mouth, then pulling back again. He couldn't stand his lips being disconnected from hers a second longer, so he reached his hands up to her face and forcefully moved her mouth towards his lips, capturing hers in a searing hot kiss, full of the want and desire he possessed for her.

Haley couldn't breathe, it felt like he was sucking all the life out of her, her was kissing her with such a passion and a need, a need that she shared for him too. She pulled away, her eyes still closed, her breathing ragged as she tried to regain control of it again. However, any control she did gain over her breathing was soon wasted as she felt Nathan start to kiss her neck again, causing her to moan breathlessly when she felt his tongue running along her pulse point. She leaned her head to the side, giving him greater access as she felt him walk them both in the direction of the couch.

Nathan pulled back from kissing her neck when he had reached the couch and sat himself down on the sofa, his eyes travelling up that incredible body, drifting up and down every single one of her womanly curves, then he grabbed Haley by the waist and pulled her down so she was straddling him, his eyes never leaving her.

Haley sat down across his lap and looked deeply into his gorgeous blue eyes. She wrapped her arms back around his neck and leaned in closely to him, taking his mouth in kiss so full of longing, expressing her craving for him all too clearly, wanting to leave no doubt in Nathan's mind of how much she wanted him.

Nathan ran his hand up her side, grazing her breasts as he did so, groaning into her mouth. She was an amazing kisser; she really knew how to work her tongue to her full advantage. He ran his hands back down to her waist and in one swift motion, he flipped them over so that she was underneath him and they were now laying down on the sofa, his lips never left hers, he was too drawn into her kiss.

He kissed his way down her neck, biting and nipping at her skin, before moving his hand up to slide down the straps of the dress she was wearing, giving himself access to her shoulder. He heard her moaning his name as his kisses travelling down her chest, towards her breasts, peppering her cleavage in hot, wet kisses. He could already feel his hands wandering down her sides, and cursed himself for pushing things too far with her.

Haley's hands were uncontrollable; they were running up and down his back, and then tangled in his hair, her skin scorching from where Nathan's mouth had been covering her in kisses.

He pulled away breathlessly and rested his head on her forehead, bringing a hand up to caress her face, listening to the sound of her breathing. "I'm sorry." He said breathlessly as he opened his eyes, to find her staring right back at him.

Haley's hands loosened in his hair and she brought them down to the back of his neck, caressing him softly. "It's okay Nathan." She whispered, knowing that he was apologising for things going what he may have thought was too far. For Haley though, that wasn't nearly enough of what she wanted from him.

Nathan kissed her lightly on the lips. "You're just too god damn irresistible." He said as he started to move off her.

Haley smiled shyly at his words as he lifted himself off her, as she too sat up next to him and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. She pulled away and glanced at the clock as she did so. "I'd better make a move." She said as she stood up from the sofa and grabbed her phone from her bag, calling a car to come and pick her up.

Nathan looked at the clock, seeing that it was midnight and watched as Haley walked out of the lounge towards the front door and followed her out to the hallway.

"Thank you for a lovely night Nathan. I had a lot of fun." Haley said as she turned to face him.

"You're welcome, I had fun too." Nathan started. "You could stay the night if you want to? You know I have some bedrooms going spare." He asked her, not wanting their night to end just yet.

Haley smiled at him. "I would love to stay but I don't have any clothes to sleep in apart from this dress."

Nathan smiled back cheekily. "You could always just sleep in your underwear?!"

Haley walked sexily up to him as she smiled at the cheeky grin that was so evident on his face. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and then leaned in closer towards his ear. "Well I would sleep in my underwear, but I'm not wearing any." She turned her head to see that her car had just pulled up, and so left a kiss just below his ear, turned and opened the front door, giggling slightly to herself at the look on Nathan's face as she got into the waiting car.

Nathan's eyes grew so wide at her revelation; he was so stunned he couldn't move. He watched as she walked to the car, still not being able to find his voice. He saw the car pull away and groaned to himself, wishing he had let his hands wander over her more than he did. He shook his head as he closed the door. Haley James was far too sexy for her own good! He grabbed his phone from the kitchen and started to write her a text.

Haley sat in the car, still smiling from the perfect evening she had just spent with Nathan. She heard her phone beeping in her bag, so she pulled it out, seeing she had just received a message from Nathan. She opened it up and laughed at what he had written.

"Baby you are so not playing fair! Let me know when you and your sexy, naked ass get home. x"

Haley was still giggling when the car pulled up at her house. She walked inside and typed a message back to Nathan, letting him know that she and her sexy ass had made it home safely. She walked upstairs and flopped down on her bed, rerunning the events of the evening through her head, unable to wipe the grin off her face as she walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. One thing was for sure, she was going to sleep as a very happy girl indeed.

**AN – So what did you think? As I said before, there is still a lot of drama coming up in this story so I hope you all stick with it! x**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN – Thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter! You guys are all so amazing and you really do make the time it takes for me to write these chapters worth it – I'm pretty sure my fiancé thinks I'm going to marry my laptop rather than him I'm on it so much typing up this story ;-)! I find it super relaxing writing though and forgot how much I missed doing it, given that I haven't written creatively since I was sixteen (which was six years ago!) – Its such a nice break from life and the stresses of work, where I deal with numbers all day – and I am so pleased you guys are enjoying this story.**

**I don't know about you guys but I'm really missing my OTH fix atm – I can't wait until the New Year when it returns! As for the upcoming drama you guys have commented on – what I have planned for this story will all fit together, and given that I seem to be crossing off so little each time I write a chapter – I have a feeling that as well as the chapters all being so long, the story is going to be pretty long too! **

**So anyway, enough rambling (again!), here is chapter eleven, I hope you all like it! x**

**Chapter Eleven**

Haley couldn't control her leg, she was so nervous. It was bouncing up and down at a thousand miles per hour as she bit her lip and played with her hair. She hadn't been this anxious since she had performed on stage live for the first time, which was about seven years ago. She had now blocked everything out of her head, the screaming crowd, the flashing lights, and just stared straight ahead, not wanting to be distracted by anything right now, her thoughts totally focussed on what was about to happen in front of her.

"Jesus Haley, will you stop with the shaky leg?!" Brooke snapped at her. "You're driving me mental with all the jiggling!"

Haley stopped her leg still and turned to scowl at Brooke, sighing to herself. "I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous!"

"Well imagine how Nathan is feeling!" Brooke stated as she rolled her eyes at Haley, it was just a basketball game to Brooke, she didn't understand why the crowd, and Haley, were so worked up about it? She didn't really want to be there at all, she would much rather be warming everyone's seat up at the bar, but Lucas had told her she had to come and support his brother, so begrudgingly she had tagged along.

"I know and that thought makes me absolutely sick to the stomach." Haley mumbled before leaning over Brooke to talk to Lucas. "You do think he's going to be okay, don't you?"

Lucas laughed at Haley. "He does this all the time Haley; today isn't any different for him."

"Well it should be! It's the last game of the season, look at how restless the fans are!" Haley squealed at him as she motioned with her hands at the crowds and crowds of people sat behind and around them, who looked more like caged animals at the zoo rather than civilized human beings at the moment! The Knicks had their last game tonight of the season, they weren't advancing any further in the NBA playoffs, but still, to win their last game would keep all the fans happy and end the season on a high note, and Nathan had told Haley all about the pressure their coach had been putting on them to 'do this one for the fans' and not for themselves. Nathan had been a complete bundle of nerves when she had seen him yesterday briefly for a coffee, she'd never seen him like that before, and she didn't have a clue how to handle him when he was like that, he was usually so sure of himself and confident about his game; she had just kept smiling at him and changing the subject away from basketball, to anything that was safe ground, the weather, holidays, she was sure she had sounded like a Grandparent!

"Trust me Haley, he'll be fine, stop worrying for him and just enjoy the game!" Lucas said as he started clapping along impatiently with the rest of the fans.

_Easy for you to say. _Haley thought to herself as she sunk down further into her chair. She started shaking her leg uncontrollably again and twisted her hair around her finger, scowling back at Brooke when she had turned her head to stare at Haley irritably again; Haley's scowl was daring her to say something about it. Luckily for Brooke, she decided against it, Haley wasn't in the mood to be told what to do at the moment. It was obvious that this was going to be an incredibly long game for her.

~*~

Nathan shook his head dejectedly as the final buzzer sounded. The crowd were mad; he could sense the anger coming from literally every single Knicks fan in the arena. It hadn't been the best season for the team, that much was true, but as he looked back, Nathan had enjoyed himself, he was the team's top scorer and even though his team hadn't got as far as they would have liked, he was still happy overall with his own performance this season. He knew their coach was going to be furious with them though for not winning tonight; in fact, Nathan didn't really want to go back into the locker room. He looked around the front row, searching for her, needing to connect with her in some way. He found her eyes, and saw the sadness in them for him, which absolutely melted his heart.

He smiled at her and walked with the rest of his team to the locker room, gearing himself up, ready to feel the wrath of his coach, bracing himself for the shouting that he was sure he would have to listen to for the next ten minutes at least.

He sat down on the bench in the locker room once he had taken his shirt off and wrapped a towel around his neck. He was covered in sweat and his whole body was exhausted, he really did need the break that was coming up, he definitely needed to relax for a while. He was going to have plenty of time to do that this week too, given that Haley was leaving first thing tomorrow to go back to LA for a week. Now that they were together, Nathan knew that being apart from her for so long was going to be even harder than it was when they had first met. He had barely coped then, what with all the moping he had been doing at Lucas' bar, and lord only knew what he was going to be like this time. He didn't really want to think about being away from her though, not at the moment, they still had tonight to spend together, and he was more than happy to forget that she was leaving tomorrow for now.

~*~

Haley sat in Lucas' bar with Brooke and Lucas, waiting anxiously for Nathan to arrive. She was so upset for him that the Knicks didn't win the game; she knew he had played his heart out too, it was so damn unlucky. Her leg was jiggling again, which caused Brooke to place her hand on Haley's thigh, stilling it. "Sorry!" Haley sighed.

"Come on, enough with the sad faces and jingly legs, Lucas, get us some tequila please!" Brooke asked sweetly as she smiled at her boyfriend, wanting to lift the mood of the table, Haley literally looked like she was in pain and that definitely needed to change, Brooke just didn't understand it, it was only a game and it wouldn't have made a difference if the Knicks had won anyway, their season would still have been over!

Lucas shook his head at his girlfriend. "Brooke!" He admonished her, but gave in when she started batting her eyelashes at him, she knew how to wrap him around her little finger that was for sure. "Well I'm not doing tequila shots, you two can." Lucas proclaimed as he stood up and walked behind the bar, grabbing a bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, some salt and lime wedges then wandered back over to where the girls were sitting, placing the items down on the table.

"Yay!" Brooke clapped her hands, poured the tequila into the glasses and pushed one of the shots over to Haley.

"Brooke, I'm not sure tequila is such a good idea, I've already had two glasses of wine here, not to mention the three drinks I had at the game!" Haley tried to reason with Brooke, already feeling a little tipsy and positively sure that even one shot of tequila would have her falling about the place, which she didn't want to be doing around Nathan, especially as he was probably feeling like absolute shit at the moment. He didn't want to have to look after her all night too.

"So? Live a little Haley!" Brooke cried out as she forced the tequila shot even closer to Haley, tempting her with it.

"I have to fly to LA tomorrow!" Haley said with her eyes wide, trying to get Brooke to see that she really couldn't get completely wasted tonight.

"Well you can sleep it off on the plane, come on Haley, please?!" Brooke begged. There was no way she was going to do tequila shots by herself, and now that they were in front of her, she really wanted them!

"Fine!" Haley gave in to the begging from Brooke as she rolled her eyes, picked up the salt shaker, then proceeded to lick her hand and sprinkle some salt on the now wet patch of her hand, before handing the salt shaker to Brooke.

Once Brooke had sprinkled some salt on her hand too, the girls counted to three then licked the salt of their hands, downed the shots and bit into the limes, both grimacing at the taste of the alcohol running down their throats.

They then proceeded to do two more shots each, before Haley was interrupted while she was pouring her fourth shot.

"Hey baby." Nathan whispered huskily in Haley's ear then left a soft kiss just below her ear on her neck, having watched her just do her tequila shot, she looked sexy as hell tonight dressed in tight fitting jeans and a pink top, revealing just enough cleavage to get him a tad worked up.

Haley gasped as she jumped out of her chair and turned around to face Nathan. She eyed him up and down, so obviously she was almost leering at him and pulled him back down to her. "Hey sexy." She practically growled at him, and then pulled him further to her, kissing him on the lips.

Nathan backed away quickly, quite aware of the fact that they were in a very public place, and given that neither of their managers nor the world, apart from Brooke and Lucas, knew about them, it would be best to be the sensible one here, no matter how much he wanted to kiss her. He turned to Brooke and Lucas as he held Haley up with his arm. "How much has she had to drink?" He asked, tasting the alcohol on her lips.

"Not too much…" Brook shrugged.

"What does not too much mean?" Nathan asked as he turned to Lucas, given that it was obvious he wasn't going to get a straight answer from Brooke.

"She's had a few." Lucas said, laughing at how Haley was still hanging onto his neck.

"Baby, I'm so sorry you lost that game. You didn't deserve to lose you know, you played really well. I loved watching you jumping up to the basket, it was really, really sexy!" Haley said to Nathan as she ran a finger down his chest, trying to be all seductive, and it probably would have worked had Nathan not needed to hold her up to stop her from stumbling over.

"Thank you, Hales." Nathan mumbled at her as he tried to regain control of her and sat her down in the chair she had just vacated, sending a scowl at both Lucas and Brooke. "She has to be at the airport at six in the morning tomorrow you know."

"Relax Nathan!" Brooke whinged at his attitude as she waved her had in his face as if she were swatting his words away. "She's just having some fun!"

Nathan continued to glare at Brooke and Lucas, and then turned his attention back to Haley, who was looking at him with a drunken grin, looking completely out of it. "Jesus Christ." He muttered as he shook his head and walked to the bar, to get as many bottles of water as he could carry.

Haley turned around in her chair and watched Nathan walk away. "He's so hot, don't you think?" She asked Brooke and Lucas as she swivelled back in her chair, almost falling off in the process.

Brooke just laughed at her and Lucas rolled his eyes.

Nathan returned two minutes later with his arms full of water, placing all but one of them on the table and twisted the top off the one left in his hands. "Hales, baby." He tried to get her attention, seeing that she was off in her own little world. "Baby, drink this please." He thrust the water in her hands and watched as she drunk some of it before placing the still practically full bottle on the table. "Hales, drink all of it." He demanded.

Haley frowned at him but did as he asked and drunk the rest of the water, and then waved the empty bottle in his face, proud that she had done as he asked.

Nathan laughed at her drunkenness, then undid the cap off the next bottle and handed it to her.

"Nathan I don't want anymore!" Haley whined as she pushed his hand away.

"Baby, you need to sober up, you're going to LA tomorrow, remember."

Haley's brow was now knit in a frown and she pouted her bottom lip out. "But I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you."

"I know honey, and I want you to stay too but it's only a week. Now come on, drink the rest of that water."

After having drunk four bottles of water, Haley had finally started to sober up quite a bit. "Guys, I'm going to take her home, she's gonna need all the sleep she can get tonight, no thanks to you two."

Brooke sent a fake smile his way before pouring herself another tequila shot, well she didn't need to be at the airport at six in the morning tomorrow!

"Okay Nate, do you want me to call you a car?" Lucas asked.

"No thanks, I've got my car with me; I'll drive her home myself." Nathan said as he picked Haley up from her chair.

"Alright, I'll catch you tomorrow okay?"

"Yep, I'll come by." Nathan said to his brother then turned to Haley. "Come on then you, let's get you home."

Haley hugged Brooke goodbye and followed Nathan out the back door to his car so he could take her home.

Nathan walked Haley to her front door once he had driven her home, not wanting to let her go just yet, but it was only a week until he would see her again, and plus he knew how busy she was going to be when she got to LA anyway. She really did need to get to sleep though given that she needed to be at the airport in six hours, so he was going to have to say goodbye to her quickly, otherwise he knew he'd never leave. "Are you all packed?" He asked as he ran his hand down her cheek softly.

Haley nodded and lent her head into his touch, sighing to herself. She wasn't sure how she was going to cope with being away from him for what felt like an age! It didn't matter that it was only a week; it was a week that she wanted to be spending with him, not on the other side of the country to him.

"I'm really going to miss you Nathan." Haley sighed as she wrapped her arms around him.

Nathan closed his eyes and leaned into her. "Me too." He whispered when his lips were nearly touching hers, then lent in further, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

Haley wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, pulling him closer to him, wanting to savour this moment for as long as she could, knowing that she wouldn't be able to touch or kiss him for a whole week, which sucked royally.

Nathan pulled her body closer to his, feeling her tongue running along his lips, opening his mouth for her and groaned when he felt her tongue connect with his. He wanted this moment to last forever, but soon needed some air desperately, and so pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily from the kiss they had just shared. "You should get some sleep baby."

Haley moved her forehead from his and lent into his chest, pulling him into her, wanting to feels his strong arms holding her for a while. "I know." She said as she pulled away eventually, looking into his eyes, then turning to go inside her house, turning back to face him before she closed the door. "I'll call you tomorrow when I get to the hotel okay?"

"Okay Hales, sleep well baby." Nathan said to her as he walked back to his car, glancing back at Haley before he got into his car, seeing her blow a kiss his way. He smiled to himself at her cuteness, and sighed, knowing that this week was going to be far too long and pass by far too slowly.

~*~

Haley walked into her suite, gave the porter some money for carrying her bags and flopped down on her bed, pulling out her mobile from her bag as she did so and scrolled down to Nathan's number, needing to hear his voice after the day she'd just had.

"Hey baby, how's your head?"

"It hurts!" Haley moaned down the phone at him.

"Well that serves you right for having all those tequila shots last night!"

"I know." Haley sighed as she rolled over; burying her face in the pillows, her head was literally throbbing.

"So how is LA treating you this time?"

"Like crap. I've already been molested by the press and I've only been from the airport to the hotel."

"I'm sorry babe."

Haley sighed, thinking back at how rude the paparazzi were when she had walked out of the airport; honestly, they were so persistent and wouldn't let her move until they had made sure they got all the pictures they required, and a few more for luck, it was so tiresome and certainly did no favours for her head, which felt like a herd of elephants were stomping down on it constantly.

"So what's your room number?"

"2161." Haley responded, sighing again. "I miss you."

"I miss you too Hales."

Haley was silent for a minute, shaking her head at how much she really did miss him, and she had only been apart from him for less than a day. How the hell was she going to last a week? She changed the subject though, not wanting to dwell on that thought any longer. "So what have you been up to today?"

"Just been shooting around outside, and I'm going to go and see Luke in a bit."

Haley laughed at him. "It's your first day of the season ending, and you decided to play basketball?!"

Nathan laughed along with her. "I know, I just wanted to keep my mind busy."

Haley smiled to herself, knowing exactly what he meant, she was the same way. "Anyway, I'd better go, I'm starving."

"Okay Hales, I'll chat to you later."

"Bye Nathan." Haley said as she hung up her phone and picked up the room service menu.

~*~

Nathan strolled into Luke's bar and plonked himself in the booth where his brother was reading the paper. "Hey Luke." Nathan greeted him as he leaned over to read what Lucas was looking at.

"Hey Nate, how's the first day without Haley going?"

"Terrible!" Nathan moaned. "I miss her so much already and it's not even been a day yet." Nathan really did miss her, it was stupid, and he had no idea how he, the man who had never needed a woman to be constantly in his life, suddenly needed Haley so much, it was quite scary actually.

Lucas smiled at his brother; he'd never seen him this way about a girl before. "I never thought I would see the day that you would be saying things like that about a girl."

"I know right!" Nathan said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just glad she has some time off next week! Not that we will be able to do anything other than hang around at either of our houses all day though." Nathan sighed at his predicament. He wanted to take Haley out on a proper date, show her off to the world, but he couldn't because the world didn't know about them yet.

"Well why don't the two of you go away somewhere? I mean, you've not got practice and she's got some time off, if you went away somewhere abroad, you could spend some proper time together without the press around, it might be a nice break for the both of you and would give the two of you a chance to do some normal things, instead of sneaking around all over the place."

Nathan nodded his head, liking the idea Luke had come up with. He was sure Haley could do with a break after she had been in LA for the week; he knew how much she hated it there. "That's not a bad idea at all Luke." Nathan thought about it some more, when another idea popped into his head. "You know what? I'm gonna go and see her in LA too!"

Lucas frowned at Nathan's sudden outburst and looked at him like he was crazy. "Nate, I thought you said she was working?"

"She is, but what's the point in us being apart and missing each other, when I could go over there and see her, it's not like I'm busy or anything is it?"

"What about the press? I thought you said that you both didn't want the whole world knowing about you? You wouldn't be able to leave the hotel!"

Nathan thought about it some more, it was true; they wouldn't be able to leave the hotel at all, if they were there by themselves. "Well why don't you and Brooke come with me?" Nathan asked. "That way we will all be able to go out, Haley could leave with Brooke and then you and I could meet them later on, the press will never know then. It's a perfect idea and you know Brooke wouldn't say no! Come on Luke, please!" Nathan begged, now that he had this idea of being able to see Haley so soon, he definitely wasn't going to allow his brother to say no.

Lucas rolled his eyes at his brother, knowing fore well that he wasn't going to let this one go, so he may as well give in now. "Let me make a few calls."

Nathan smiled at Luke as he got up from the booth and headed out of the bar, excited at the prospect of being able to see Haley sooner than he had first thought he would be able to. "Thanks bro, you're the best!" He shouted over his shoulder as he left Lucas.

~*~

Nathan knocked on the door of Jake's office, pleased to see for once that he wasn't on the phone and he could get this over and done with. "Hey Jake." Nathan said as he sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Hey Nathan, how's it going?"

"Good thanks." Nathan responded as he started fiddling with his hands. He didn't know why he was so nervous, it wasn't like Jake wasn't aware of the fact that he had been seeing Haley, he just didn't know how serious it had been getting between them lately. And if he was going to be in Barbados with her, he thought he had better at least give Jake a heads up, and plus, he wanted him to book the tickets for them, as Nathan wasn't going to have the time as he was flying out to LA in a few hours and still needed to pack.

"What can I do for you then?" Jake asked, noticing how agitated he seemed.

Nathan took a deep breath. "Haley and I are now dating, officially."

Jake's eyes grew wide. "You managed to get past her scary manager?"

"Not exactly, no one really knows about us yet apart from Brooke, Luke and now you."

"Oh, I was going to say, I don't think anyone could melt the ice queen's heart!" Jake chuckled to himself, remembering what Haley's manager had been like when he had called her about the ticket for his basketball game that Nathan had wanted Haley to attend.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh along with him, not really being a fan of Haley's manager either, especially after the whole Chase drama. "Well, I just wanted to let you know, I'm going out to LA to see her, and then she has a week off next week, so I wanted to take her away to Barbados for a few nights. Could you possibly book some tickets, separately of course, for her and me?"

"Yep sure, no problem, when did you want to leave?"

"Saturday, and come back on Thursday."

"Okay, I'll get right on that."

"Could you also send Haley's ticket to her home address?" Nathan asked as he wrote down her address on a piece of paper and passed it to him. "Thanks Jake, I don't really want her manager to know about this, and neither does she."

"No problem Nathan." Jake said as he watched Nathan walk out of his office. "Oh and Nathan?" Jake called to him just as he was about to walk around the corner.

"Yep." Nathan said as he turned around.

"I'm pleased for you; Haley James is one hell of a girl."

"She sure is." Nathan said as he smiled at Jake and walked out of his office.

~*~

Nathan, Brooke and Lucas had just landed in LA airport, and Nathan was charging so fast through the crowds to the luggage carousel, Brooke and Lucas were struggling to keep up with him.

"God Nathan, you rushing isn't going to make any difference, especially as the bags won't even be on the carousel yet." Brooke moaned.

"They might be." Nathan called over his shoulder as he barged past some more people, eager to get to Haley as quickly as he could.

"God, these shoes were so not meant for this." Brooke bitched.

"Come on babe, he's just excited!" Lucas pleaded with her to give it a rest. He liked this new version of his brother, it seemed that after 22 years of existence, he had turned into a human at last, rather than the robotic woman-user he used to be and he wasn't going to let Brooke or anyone else for that matter spoil it for him.

"Fine." Brooke sighed as she continued to run along with Lucas, them both trying to catch up with Nathan. "But if I have blisters you and your brother are going to be sorry!"

After having bitched at Brooke for taking two suitcases for what was only a flipping short stay away, and of course her second suitcase had to have been one of the last bags to come off the plane, and queuing in what had to be the longest queue ever to get out of the airport, Nathan sighed to himself as they finally made it to the hotel Haley was staying at. He charged up to the receptionist, leaving Brooke and Lucas to deal with the car, wanting to get to her as soon as he could, now he was in the same building as her, his heart rate had increased ten fold. "Hi I'm here to see Haley James, room 2161 please." Nathan said while flashing his trademark grin at her.

The receptionist looked him up and down, recognising him instantly as some sports star and picked up the phone, dialling the room he had just asked for, which got no reply. "I'm sorry; she doesn't appear to be there at the moment."

"Well could you just give me the key please?"

"I'm sorry but we can't do that." The receptionist smiled warmly at him.

Nathan was a bit annoyed at this but decided to use the Scott charm to his advantage. "I know you can do that for me," Nathan started, glancing down at her name tag, reading it obviously, "Samantha." _Ha, she was definitely going to fall for that one, it was a complete no-brainer and worked every time!_

She smiled back at him, raising her eyebrow, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. "I'm sorry; I can't give you a key to her room."

_Damn woman! _Nathan thought to himself. He could feel his jaw clenching. Didn't this woman understand? He just wanted to see his girlfriend for crying out loud!

Lucas and Brooke had been watching Nathan from the sidelines, and Lucas decided that it was time he stepped in before his brother's infamous temper got the better of him. "Nate." He said as he pulled Nathan to the side. "Why are you getting mad?" He muttered at him.

"She won't give me the damn key!" Nathan shouted out in complete outrage.

"And you really expected her to?" Lucas said bewilderedly. "You should be glad that the receptionist doesn't allow random men into her room!"

Nathan thought about what his brother was saying to him and had to agree, he was right. He sighed as he made him way back over to the receptionist. "Can I please get a suite for tonight please?" He asked, knowing this was a battle he wasn't going to win, if that woman wasn't falling for the Scott charm, something had to be wrong with her.

"Of course. We have our top suite available if you would like to book that?"

"That sounds fine. Do you have a piece of paper and an envelope I could use please?" Nathan forced the 'please' out of his mouth.

The receptionist smiled warmly at him again as she handed him some paper and an envelope.

Nathan sarcastically returned her smile and proceeded to write a note on the paper and popped it in the envelope. The receptionist handed him two keys to the suite once he had been checked in, and Nathan popped one of the key cards into the envelope, wrote Haley's name on the front and sealed it. "Can you please ensure that Haley James gets this when she returns?"

"Of course." The receptionist smiled at him and placed the envelope behind the desk.

Nathan grabbed his bag. "I'll call you once I've caught up with Haley later, okay?" Nathan said to Brooke and Lucas as he huffed his way up to the suite.

~*~

Jake was searching through the piles of papers which cluttered his desk, that horrible feeling not relenting, but only growing stronger, deep inside the pit of his stomach. He could have sworn he left the envelope containing Haley's ticket on his desk, but wasn't sure if he had written her home address on the front, or her manager's office address. He also knew how efficient his assistant was, and if she had seen an envelope sealed and addressed on his desk, there was a very high probability that she had sent it too. _Fuck. _Nathan was going to be pissed!

He decided to try to sort this out himself, he didn't want to bother Nathan with it, he would simply call the ice queen himself and hope that she wouldn't be a complete bitch to him like she had been the last time he'd had the pleasure of speaking to her. He braced himself as he dialled her number.

"Hi this is Peyton Sawyer, I'm sorry I'm either away from my desk or on the other line but if you would like to leave your name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

Thank the lord for voicemail! Jake was still rooting around his desk, silently praying that he would find the envelope himself, when he heard the beep coming from down the phone, forcing him to speak.

"Hi Peyton, this is Jake Jagielski, I represent Nathan Scott. Could you please call me when you get this on…" He proceeded to give her his number, "I think I may have… AH HA! Yes! Never mind, erm… thanks." He then hung up the phone, so pleased that he managed to find the damn envelope, which conveniently wasn't addressed to Peyton's office at all, doing a little dance of glee in his office, kissing the envelope he now had safely in his hands! At least he hadn't told Haley's manager what he was looking for.

~*~

Haley huffed her way out of another interview, needing to vent her anger; she couldn't believe the audacity of some people. She grabbed her phone and called Nathan, hoping that he would be free to listen to some of her ranting.

"Hey baby!" Nathan greeted her.

"You know how I said I hated LA before?" She asked him in an incredibly angry tone.

_Oh dear, she was pissed. _"Erm… Yeah…" He said, unsure of where this was going.

"Well now its official. This is the worst place in the world."

"Babe what happened?" Nathan asked.

"I just had the interview from hell." Haley deadpanned.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad..."

"She was a complete bitch!" Haley interrupted him, screeching her head off as she got into the car that was waiting for her outside the building. "She asked me about Chase, and us, God, she practically implied that I was some kind of slut! And I'm sorry but you should have seen what she was, or rather wasn't, wearing, if she was calling me a slut then she needed to look in a fucking mirror!"

Shit, Chase again. Couldn't that punk just crawl into a drain and stay there? "Hales, calm down!" Nathan tried to push the thoughts of what Chase had done to Haley and tried to ignore the insecurity that was now flowing through him at the sound of his name.

"Sorry Nathan." Haley said as she rested her head in her hands, taking a deep breath. I'm just so worked up!"

"Well what did you say when she asked you about Chase?" Nathan couldn't help being curious, he wanted to know what she had told the interviewer.

"I said nothing was going on between Chase and I at all, I said we had gone to the premiere as friends." Haley answered, knowing that this was probably bothering him and kind of regretting bringing it up, although it was probably better if she told him what she had said now, rather than have him read or hear about it from someone else. "And I told her that you and I knew each other and hung out together sometimes."

"Good." Nathan said, relieved that she hadn't said something during the interview that he didn't want to hear, he was pleased with the fact that she hadn't said her and Chase being together at the premiere was a date. "So where are you now?"

"I'm just pulling up outside the hotel now. Damn press are here in their masses. God I hate this place!" Haley screeched again.

"Baby, come on. Just get inside; you'll feel better when you get to your room."

"I know." Haley said as she stepped out of the car and ran into the hotel. "I really miss you." She said softly.

"I miss you too baby."

Haley glanced over at the receptionist to smile at her as she wandered in the lobby, seeing that she was waving her over. "Nathan, can I call you back, the receptionist is waving me over."

Nathan smiled to himself, knowing exactly why the receptionist was waving her over. "Sure Hales, chat to you in a second."

"Okay." Haley said as she hung up the phone just as she walked up to the reception desk.

"I have a package for you, Miss James." The receptionist said as she handed Haley the envelope.

"Thank you." Haley said, wondering what the hell the envelope contained. She opened it, finding a key and a note with a room number inside. She looked at the receptionist with a confused look on her face, to find the receptionist smiling weirdly at her.

Haley got into the lift and went up to the top floor, which housed the room she had a key to. She really didn't know what the hell was going on, why would someone leave her a key to a room?

She walked apprehensively along the corridor towards the room, and once she reached it, she nervously placed the key card in the door and opened the door wide, gasping at what she saw. The room was covered in candles, with red and white rose petals placed on the floor. Her eyes were wide in amazement, as she followed the trail of rose petals in the lounge, and then smiled at the sight before her as she turned to face the bedroom.

"Surprise!" Nathan said from the bed.

"Nathan! What are you doing here?!" Haley squealed as she raced up to where he was sitting on the bed and covered his face in kisses.

"I missed you too much!" He said as he returned the gesture and started to cover Haley's face in kisses, before stopping and cupping her face and then lent in to take her mouth in a soft kiss. He couldn't keep the smile off his face at being able to be close to her again, it was amazing how much time he had available to miss her given that he didn't have basketball at the moment to keep his mind occupied. "Good surprise then?" He asked once he pulled away from her.

"An amazing surprise!" Haley gushed at him, her arms still wrapped around his neck. She couldn't believe that he had flown all this way just to be with her, because he missed her! Was he not the most perfect boyfriend in the world?!

"I have more you know!" Nathan said with a raised eyebrow.

Haley looked at him with confusion. He had just flown across the country to see her, what else could he possibly have up his sleeve?!

Nathan laughed at the look on Haley's face, unable to contain the secret anymore, he couldn't wait to see her reaction. "You know you have a week off next week?"

Haley nodded her head at him, wondering where the hell he was going with this. So she had a week off?!

"Well, I've booked us flights to Barbados for a couple of nights."

"Seriously?!" Haley squealed jumping up and down his lap like a five year old, her smile beaming from her face.

"Seriously!" Nathan said with a smile just like hers on his own face.

"Aw baby, thank you. That really does sound amazing." Haley said appreciatively as she ran her hand down his face.

Nathan leaned in and started to kiss her again, then stood up from where he was sitting, not letting his mouth leave hers, as he carefully placed her back down on the bed, laying down on top of her, their kissing becoming more frenzied as he felt her tongue slide into his mouth. He moved his hands up and down her sides as he felt her back arch, pressing herself into him, causing him to groan into her mouth, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

They both tried to ignore it but the knocking just got louder. Haley pulled away from the kiss breathlessly.

"I'm going to kill whoever that is." Nathan muttered to himself as he got up from the bed and walked over to the door, opening it, glaring as he did so.

"Jesus Nathan, what's with the death glare?" Lucas asked, then spotted the candles and rose petals on the floor behind Nathan. "Oh shit! Sorry!" He grimaced at his brother.

"Is Haley here yet?" Brooke asked as she tried to look past Nathan into the suite, a smile creeping across her face as she too saw the candles and the rose petals on the floor.

Nathan growled at them both.

"I'm here Brooke." Haley said as she emerged from the bedroom and walked into the lounge.

"Oh good! We were wondering what you both wanted to do tonight? We were thinking dinner and then going to a bar?" Brooke asked the both of them, knowing that the moment between Haley and Nathan was now ruined anyway, so she may as well get to the point of her and Luke being at their door.

"That sounds good, although could we do room service instead of going to a restaurant?" Haley asked, still not wanting to eat out with Nathan, it would only cause the rumour mill to begin and she wasn't ready for that yet.

"Sure." Lucas said as he and Brooke made their way into the suite. "Where's the menu? I'm starved!"

Nathan shook his head as he shut the door. All he wanted was a few minutes alone with Haley, was that too much to ask?!

~*~

Nathan and Lucas pulled up outside the bar they had decided to go to this evening, to find it crowded with photographers. To avoid the press asking questions, Haley and Brooke had gone ahead half an hour ago and were already inside. Nathan pushed his way through the hordes of photographers, trying desperately to make it to the safety of the bar. The press here were flipping crazy!

Once he and Lucas had reached the sanctity of the bar, they started searching for Brooke and Haley, not being able to see either of them anywhere as they hastily made their way through the packed bar, searching desperately for them.

"Maybe they went to the toilets or something?" Lucas asked. "Shall we get a drink and then find a table?"

"Yeah, why not." Nathan responded, still looking around searching frantically for Haley.

They both carried their drinks and walked over to a free table, Nathan pulled his phone out of his pocket before he sat down, trying to call Haley but not being able to reach her. "She probably can't hear her phone." He said as he threw it down on the table.

"I'm sure they're here somewhere." Lucas said as he took a swig of his beer and relaxed into the seat, taking in the atmosphere of the bar.

Nathan couldn't keep his eyes still, finding them darting everywhere. _Where the hell was she? _He took another large gulp of his beer, when he spotted Brooke, standing in the middle of a circle of men. He tapped his brother on the arm. "There's Brooke. Is Haley with her?" He asked as he lent across Lucas, trying to see if she was there too but the stupid pillar was in his way, blocking his view.

Lucas leaned over further as he had a better view of them from where he was sitting. "Yeah, Haley's there too." Lucas stated.

Nathan moved his seat to the other side of Lucas, finally seeing Haley, also standing in the middle of the circle of about six men. _Fucking great. _Nathan thought to himself. _Here we go again, _as visions of the laughing boy Haley was talking to at Luke's bar a couple of weeks ago came flashing through his mind. He picked up his beer and downed a large sip, his eyes now glued to her. He was pleased with what he saw though, he could tell she was uncomfortable; she was clinging to her glass for dear life, her eyes looking around the bar, presumably for him. He definitely wasn't going to be shouting at her for flirting tonight, she definitely wasn't doing that. But that wasn't to say the guys circling her weren't. He watched as they eyed her up and down lecherously and felt his eyes narrow. He was just about to go and get her when he felt Lucas on his arm.

Lucas looked over at Nathan and knew exactly what he was thinking of doing so reached over and placed his arm on his brother. "Nate, no one knows about the two of you yet, and you're not in my bar now. This place is probably crawling with reporters. Stay calm."

Nathan growled as he sunk back into his seat, watching Haley. One of the guys had just moved forward, invading her personal space. He smiled as Haley took a couple of steps away from him. She said something to him and then turned, looking like she was going to walk away, when the guy grabbed her waist and pulled her back into him.

Nathan instantly stood up and had walked away from the table before Lucas could stop him. This punk needed to back off right now. He walked up behind the guy, his jaw clenched, his hands firmly grasped into fists. "Get your hands off her." He growled in the guy's ear.

The punk turned around to face Nathan, looked him up and down, seeing that there was no way he could possibly take Nathan, he looked far too strong for him. "What's it to you, dude?" The guy asked, not thinking he had done anything wrong, as his friends also turned around to look at what was going on too, wondering why Nathan had come over and spoiled their fun.

"Nothing, I just said get your hands off her. Now back off." Nathan growled, ready to punch this guy to the floor, but he held back.

The guy could see the look in Nathan's eyes, one he didn't want to be messing with and so walked away with the rest of his crowd.

"You okay Hales?" Nathan asked her, as he watched the punk walk away.

"Yeah I'm fine. Thanks Nathan." She smiled up at him, god he was so fucking hot when he was like that, all possessive and jealous, a total turn on.

Nathan led her back to the table he and Lucas were sitting at while Brooke got some more drinks in, when he felt Haley pull back on his arm.

"I just want to get out of here." She said to him, wanting to have Nathan all to herself, instead of not being able to touch him in a crowded bar, she could still hear that growl he had given to that guy, it was so manly and hot.

"Okay, why don't you go first and I'll leave in ten minutes. Are you going to be okay with the press outside?" He asked her.

"I'll be fine." She smiled at him as she watched him pull out his phone and call for two cars.

~*~

Nathan sighed as he walked out of the elevator and along the corridor to the suite and placed the key in the door before opening it. He was actually quite nervous about sharing a bed with Haley tonight. He knew they weren't going to have sex, that much had been made clear when they'd both had their talk with each other a couple of weeks ago. They were taking things slowly and he was pleased about that and he also thought Haley was too. She hadn't said she'd wanted anymore from him so he was happy with the way things were going between them at the moment, the pace felt about right, not that he knew anything about where they should in their relationship right now, given that he'd never been in a relationship like this before, it just felt right to him. But the thought of sharing a bed with her had his heart racing and his palms sweating as the door swung open. He did a double take as he saw all the candles he could have sworn they blew out when they left the hotel earlier were still lit. He closed the door behind him and walked into the lounge, turning to face the bedroom when he nearly had a heart attack.

There laying on the bed in nothing but a black lacy bra and matching lacy panty set was Haley, looking sexy as hell.

"Surprise." She said sexily, mimicking his words from earlier, as she sat up from her position where she was lying on the bed and held her arms out along her side, leaning back into them, blushing at the way Nathan was eyeing her hungrily, his eyes travelling slowly up and down her body.

Nathan couldn't speak, he tried, but nothing came out, well, nothing coherent anyway, the only sound his voice was making right now was what could only be described as a croak. He cleared his throat but still didn't know what the hell to say. She looked absolutely gorgeous and was utterly irresistible. He moved towards her as she got up from the bed, meeting him halfway.

Haley stopped in front of him and smiled seductively at him, before leaning up on her tip toes, taking his mouth in a searing hot kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down closer to her, her tongue needing to be inside of his mouth almost instantaneously, she couldn't wait any longer.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her nearly bare back and found himself unable to keep them still. He ran his hands up and down her back, moaning into her mouth at the feel of her near nakedness against him, and the feel of her tongue against his being almost too much for him to take, the instant her mouth was on his, he grew hard, he just lost all control when he was around her.

Haley broke away from the kiss and kissed her way down his jaw, sucking hard at his neck, running her tongue around in small circles, eliciting even more groaning from him, making her smile against his neck. She brought her hands down his shoulders and ran them down his body, groaning at the feel of his toned chest, then ran them back up and started undoing the buttons of his shirt, moving her mouth down his chest as she started to reveal his incredible body.

"God Haley." Nathan moaned as he felt her mouth move hectically down his chest, throwing his head back in pleasure and closing his eyes.

He was so defined, Haley couldn't help herself as she licked and sucked her way down as much of him as she could get, then licked her way back up him so she could pull his shirt off his broad shoulders.

Nathan took the opportunity to lean down to her and took her mouth in a fiery kiss, his hands holding her head in place so he could literally kiss her senseless. Before he knew it, he found his hands wandering down her back, and he unclasped her bra in one swift motion, pulling it off her and throwing it on the floor.

His mouth moved down towards her breasts, taking one in his mouth, his hands finding the other and he started to suck and lick around her now hardened nipple, his hand running over and flicking the other.

Haley sighed breathlessly, arching her back in pleasure, as she felt him move his mouth to the other breast, giving that one equal attention. She wrapped her hands in his hair, needing to feel his mouth on hers again, so she pulled him gently back up to her, capturing his lips with hers.

Nathan's hands ran down her now naked back down to her ass, cupping her cheeks with his hands, she had the sexiest ass ever.

Haley's hands were running down his chest again, past his belly button when she found the edge of his trousers. She started unclipping his belt when Nathan pulled away from the kiss.

"Haley…" He begun to protest but was cut off by the feel of Haley's index finger against his mouth.

"Shush." She said with a coy smile, leaning into his ear and whispering. "I'm not asking you to do anything baby." She then nibbled on his earlobe as she moved her hand back down to her belt and unclipped it, then proceeded to undo his trousers, pulling them down his legs as far as she could reach, and then bringing her own leg up to pull them the rest of the way to the floor.

Her hands ran up and down his chest again, over all his muscles until she found the waistband of his boxers, her mouth now ravaging his neck. She slid her hands around his back and inside of his boxers and ran her fingernails over his ass, before bringing her hands back around to the front, taking his hard cock in one of her hands, grinning against his neck at the sharp intake of breath Nathan took as she started moving her hand slowly up and down his shaft.

Nathan couldn't catch his breath; his breathing was becoming so laboured. She literally had no idea what she was doing to him. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to concentrate on his breathing, but all that was consuming him was the feel of her hands on him running up and down his thickness, the feel of her mouth which had now moved from his ear to his neck and to his chest, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses behind, and leaving him panting for her, the craving building inside of him was for her and only her, no one else had ever come close to making him feel like this.

Haley was kissing her way down his chest, she didn't know what was happening to her but her need for him was all consuming, she knew that they weren't going to have sex tonight, but she wanted to show him just how much she craved him. Her hands moved from his cock back up to the edge of his boxers, peeling them down his legs, her mouth lowering to his belly button as she did so, running her tongue around it as she lowered herself onto her knees, retracting her mouth from him for a second, glancing up at his face.

He looked down at her catching her eyes on him, her eyes so full of desire for him, screaming sex. She looked so god damn hot in that moment, on her knees in front of him, he was sure this was some fantasy playing out in his head, it all felt too fucking good to be real.

Haley removed her gaze from him, lowering her head so she was now face to face with his perfect cock, her eyes growing wide as she licked her lips in anticipation, lowering her mouth to it, the craving to taste him being too much for her to fight.

Nathan felt her tongue teasing the tip of his cock, running around in circles just over the top, causing him to groan and nearly cum then and there. She definitely knew what she was doing, that was for sure.

Haley moved her hand over the base of his erection and licked slowly up the underside of it, before taking all of him in her mouth, and started sucking and stoking him in unison. She could feel her own body react to the fact that she had his cock inside her mouth, pretty sure she wouldn't be able to take the whole no sex thing tonight, her desire for him burned from deep inside of her.

Nathan couldn't stop saying her name, she was sucking him so hard, her mouth taking all of him, and he could feel himself getting close to being taken over the edge but held back, wanting more of Haley, needing more of her.

After another minute, he found himself unable to stop the ecstasy building in him, his breathing had become more like panting, and he was finding himself gasping for breath. He needed to hold onto something but nothing was in reach, so he moved his hands into her hair, tangling his fingers in her.

Haley could tell he was close; so she increased her pace once more and felt him jerk into her mouth, the warmness of his cum running down her throat. She swallowed all of him, licking him dry, savouring the taste of him, and once satisfied she had caught every drop of him, she licked her lips and kissed her way back up his delicious body.

Nathan was exhausted, that was hands down the best head he had ever been given and she was hands down the most amazing girl in the world. He was one lucky bastard.

Haley kissed him lightly on the lips, before turning them both settling him back down on the bed, smiling shyly at him.

She walked over to the him and took his mouth in a kiss, bringing her knees up onto the mattress so she was straddling him, then pushed him back down on the mattress so she was on top of him. She pulled away and kissed him lightly on the lips, before moving off him and settling back into the pillows, with him, then rolling onto her side so she could lay her head on his chest. She needed nothing more from him tonight; just being in his arms was more than enough for her.

Nathan closed his eyes, and ran his hand down her arm. He loved having her snuggled up to him, it felt so right.

Haley closed her eyes, the stillness and quiet of the hotel room relaxing her, her arm tingling from where Nathan was drawing invisible circles on her with his finger

Nathan sighed contently as he lent down and kissed her on top of the head. "I could lay like this with you forever." He whispered.

Haley craned her neck so she could look at him. "So could I." She whispered back, placing a light kiss on his neck, before settling down next to him, closing her eyes.

Nathan listened quietly to the sound of her breathing, which had become so steady; he could tell she was asleep. He stroked the hair away from her face, leaning down to place another kiss on her forehead, before allowing sleep to fall on him too; tonight he would be resting in total and utter bliss.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN – Hey guys! I am so sorry it has taken me a while to update this time... things have been really hectic here and I have some good excuses, I promise, for not updating in so long! I have been looking for a new job and so have spent the whole of the last two weeks at interviews which has been a bit stressful and so I haven't found the time to update this until now (just literally found out I got one of the roles too so that's quite exciting!). And I found out that I passed what will be the last ever exam I have to sit in my entire life on Friday and so spend the whole weekend celebrating with my friends! So that is why it has taken me ages to update and I do apologise for it! Oh, and I wanted to say a big thank you for the reviews of the previous chapter, you guys are all amazing! So here is the next chapter in the story – I hope you all like it! x**

**Chapter Twelve**

Haley stood in front of the racks and racks of bikinis completely mesmerised and confused by the choice that was on offer. How the hell was she supposed to know which colour to get? Then, once she had narrowed her choice down a colour, she had to start thinking about the style, evidently, as the store she was in seemed to have bikinis in every single colour under the sun, and then also had each colour in about ten different styles. She had no idea what style would suit her at all, as far as she was aware, a bikini was a bikini, simple as, but apparently, she was wrong. That was why Brooke was with her right now. She turned to look at her, laughing at what she saw. Brooke was furiously rummaging through the rails with one hand, the other hand holding up the latest fashion magazine, which seemed to answer all the questions about bikinis that Haley didn't have a clue about, it was apparently her new bible.

"Okay, according to the magazine you need to go for a halter neck." Brooke said as she pulled out a black bikini and handed it to Haley. "But I also think the strapless style would look good on you too." Brooke then handed Haley a black strapless bikini. "We'll go and try them both on in black then we can start to think about the colour once we have decided on a style."

"Okay." Haley nodded as Brooke started to drag her towards the changing rooms. Truth be told, all Haley wanted was a bikini that would make her absolutely irresistible to Nathan. But she had no idea what type of bikini he liked so she may as well go for the one which suited her best, right? It was all getting too complicated for Haley. At the end of the day, what she really wanted was something that was going to be put on, and then thrown off very quickly, she didn't care about swimming in it at all, and she didn't care if she and Nathan never left their hotel room. He was far more interesting and beautiful than a Barbados beach, she was sure of it, she didn't even need to see the beach to confirm that, she just knew it, it was fact.

An hour and a half later, Haley and Brooke finally left the store, having purchased three bikinis, one was black and strapless and the other two were halter neck style, one in white, and the other, which was Haley's favourite, was a turquoise colour.

"Thanks so much for helping me with that Brooke."

"No problem, I'm sure Nathan won't be able to resist you in any one of them!" Brooke said with a wink as she nudged Haley with her elbow.

Haley could feel herself blushing, but couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Was she really that obvious?!

"Just don't forget to fill me in on all the juicy details when you get back!" Brooke said with a cheeky grin.

"Brooke!" Haley admonished.

"What?!" Brooke said with a shrug. "We're friends Haley; it would be a crime against the rules of friendship if you didn't tell me what the sex was like!"

"Why would you want to know about me and Nathan, who I might add is your boyfriend's brother, having... you know?!" Haley said in a shocked tone.

"Why not?! Sex is sex. And good sex is hot. And if the chemistry you two have flying around between you two is any indication as to what the sex is going to be like, well, let's just say it's going to be hot, actually, not just hot, probably smoking hot! And there is nothing I like more than a good, hot sex story!"

Haley shook her head at her friend. "You, Brooke Davis, are an absolute nightmare."

"But yet you wouldn't have me any other way!" Brooke said with a smile as she linked arms with Haley and guided them back to the car.

~*~

Peyton walked out of the lift and rushed towards her office. She had a thousand and one things to do today, especially as Haley was taking a week off from tomorrow; so she needed to make sure that she had everything sorted before Haley was spending the following week relaxing. The last thing she wanted to do was forget something and have to bother Haley about work when she should be chilling out. She didn't understand why Haley was choosing to spend her week off at home though, if it were her who had a week off, she would jump on the first plane out of New York and go somewhere where she could forget about everything. Sun, sea and sand sounded just perfect to her and she had thought it would also sound perfect to Haley, and yet, when she had suggested a trip away to Haley, which she had originally thought she would jump at the chance, she instead turned it down, but then again, Haley had always been rather strange! Why she would want to stay cooped up in her house all week, Peyton would never know. She opened the door to her office and slumped on the chair, seeing the post had already been put on her desk. She picked it up and started shuffling through it, seeing if there was anything important in there which required her attention before she started with her hectic schedule for the day.

She noticed that the message light was flashing on her answering machine, as it always was. She sighed to herself as she started listening to the messages, taking notes where she needed to and deleting the ones she didn't need any more. She listened to the second to last message, writing down the number she needed to call them back and sighed as she flicked to the last message, instantly sitting up in her chair as she recognised the voice coming from the speaker of the answer machine.

"Hi Peyton, this is Jake Jagielski, I represent Nathan Scott. Could you please call me when you get this on…" Peyton listened in shock as she wrote down the number he had just given her. "I think I may have… AH HA! Yes! Never mind, erm… thanks."

Peyton hit the button on the machine to listen to the message again. What the hell was Nathan Scott's manager doing calling her again? And what the hell was he rambling on about? He thinks he may have... what?! Peyton was so confused as to why he had called her. She looked down at the number she had written down and started to dial it, breathing deeply to herself as she got herself ready to start questioning what the hell he was doing calling her, when she thought better of it. It was probably better if she called Haley to ask her what was going on before she started shouting at Nathan's manager. She hung up the phone and dialled Haley's number, hoping that she would be able to explain what was going on.

~*~

Haley was running around her room like a headless chicken, tripping up on clothes and shoes which lay chaotically on the floor. She was only going to Barbados for a few days and yet she found herself throwing nearly every single item of clothing she had into her suitcase, which she knew was absolutely ridiculous, especially when she stopped herself in front of what could only be described as a mountain of clothes that were spilling out of the suitcase. She sighed to herself as she grabbed the clothes and carried them over to her bed. She was going to have to start again. She really didn't know what her problem was, she was usually so organised but there was something about this trip, she wanted to be prepared for every single thing that could happen, she didn't want to be kicking herself that she had left some outfit at home that would have been perfect for an evening, she wanted every second of the trip to be perfect, and that included the outfits she would be wearing, which in turn meant that she was probably going to have to pack her whole wardrobe.

Haley started to make three piles, one was for clothes that she definitely needed to take, one was for thing she might need to take and the third was for items that were so ridiculous she definitely didn't need to bring with her. She was about half way through the pile when her phone rang. She sighed as she looked over at the pile of clothes that she wouldn't be taking with her, disgusted at the fact that only three tops lay in that pile, compared to the other two humungous piles, which contained the majority of her wardrobe.

"Hello." Haley said as she answered her phone, still staring in dismay at her clothes and wondering what the hell she was going to do. She really was contemplating calling Nathan and asking if he had any room available in his suitcase, but thought against that, calling him for packing space was probably taking this a little too far. She was just going to have to sort this out herself.

"Hey Haley." Came Peyton's voice down the phone.

"Peyton!" Haley greeted her as she sat down on what little space she could find on her bed.

"Are you looking forward to your week off Haley?"

"Yeah can't wait!" Haley said excitedly down the phone. She knew Peyton didn't know about her trip to Barbados with Nathan but she could still be excited about some time off.

"Are you still planning on staying at home?"

"Yeah, I can't really be bothered to go anywhere; I just want to chill out really." Haley lied. She really did hate having to lie to Peyton about her relationship with Nathan, but she knew how much Peyton disliked him and it definitely wasn't the time to tell her right now, Peyton would surely fly off the handle and Haley was in too much of a good mood to have that spoiled by anyone.

"Well I can have a search and see if there is any late availability somewhere if you wanted me too. I really think it would be good for you to get away."

"Thanks Peyton, but honestly I just want to relax and be at home."

"Okay, it's your choice; I just think you're mad turning down an opportunity to get some sunshine! Anyway, the real reason I called was to ask you about something."

"Okay, shoot."

"Jake Jegielski called me and left a message, it seemed like he was asking if I had something, any idea what it was?" Peyton asked casually, wondering what Haley's reaction would be.

"Oh, yeah..." Haley started. Shit, what the hell was she supposed to say to her?! "Erm, I think it was probably about a ticket." Haley said. There. That wasn't a lie, it was about a ticket, she wasn't lying, she was just simply leaving out a few important details that's all. She just prayed that Peyton wouldn't ask what the ticket was for.

"Oh." Peyton said with a slight edge to her voice. She had made her feelings for Nathan Scott very clear and didn't really want Haley hanging round with him too much; she knew it would do no good for her image and her career, she just didn't get why she couldn't see that. "A ticket for what?"

Crap. _Why did she have to be so nosy? _Haley thought to herself. She took a deep breath as she continued the lying, wincing at her own words. "Just for some basketball thing Nathan has on next week."

"But I thought the basketball season was over for him?" Peyton asked, confused as to what basketball thing Haley could be referring to.

"Yeah it is over but it's just something extra he's doing with the Knicks that's all." Haley swiftly decided to change the subject before she dug herself an even bigger hole. And since when did Peyton suddenly know so much about basketball? She absolutely hated the game! "So was there anything else you wanted?"

"No, that's all Haley. Enjoy your week off." Peyton said as she hung up the phone.

Haley hung up the phone and stared at it for a while. She really needed to tell Peyton about her and Nathan soon. It was definitely not a conversation she was looking forward to having but she couldn't keep lying to her about it. She sighed as she stood up from the bed and finished sorting through her clothes, forgetting instantly about the guilt she felt because of Peyton when she thought of the trip she and Nathan were taking in the morning. She was sure it was going to be nothing less than amazing.

~*~

Haley's car pulled up outside the departures entrance of the airport. She practically skipped out of the car; she was so excited about the next few days, and ran to grab a trolley to put her extremely heavy case on it. There was no way she would be able to roll that case around with her, it was that heavy she was sure her arm would drop off! Once the driver had put her case on the trolley, Haley pushed it inside and looked for her flight to Barbados on the information screen. Once she had found the flight, she made her way over to the check in desk, arriving just in time to see Nathan finishing checking in. Haley joined the back of the first class queue and couldn't resist the beaming smile she sent his way when he walked past her. She saw him wink and smile back at her. Haley could feel herself blushing, she didn't know how else to react to him. She turned her head to follow him and saw him turn his head and smirk at her. God he was so sexy when he did that. She continued gushing to herself, thinking about how lucky she was to be with someone who was that good looking. She wanted to run over there and jump on him, but she knew she couldn't. The whole point of them arriving separately and checking in separately was so that no one would know that they were together, and jumping on him in public would kind of give them away just a little bit.

Nathan walked past his girlfriend, sending her a wink and a smile. He saw her blushing; she was so damn cute when she did that. She literally had him turning to goo whenever he was around her. He turned back around to look at her, seeing her looking at him, so he sent her the Scott smirk, laughing when he saw her blushing cheeks turn even more crimson. Haley James was sexy as hell, and she was also all his. He couldn't wait to get to Barbados with her, it would just be nice for the both of them to act like a normal couple and expand their dates past the four walls of either of their homes, or a hotel room. He just wanted to be able to step outside with her wrapped up against him, without the press going crazy. And the one place they could do that was Barbados.

Fair enough, they might now be able to leave the confines of the resort he had booked them into, but still, they had gardens and loads of restaurants and even private beaches for them to enjoy, so there would be plenty of opportunities for them to leave the confines of their hotel room and enjoy each other's company in the open air. He had talked to his teammates about the best hotel to book in Barbados, and each of them had recommended the one he had chosen. It was renowned for being extremely private, and the staff took no prisoners apparently when it came to the press, so they should both be able to completely relax together, which was all that Nathan wanted for them.

~*~

Haley looked up from her seat in first class to find Nathan staring at her again. She laughed to herself. They were supposed to be acting like they didn't know each other, they had made sure that they had checked in separately so as not to raise people's suspicions about them, but yet here they were on an aeroplane and he wouldn't stop looking at her. Haley sighed as she called the air hostess over and asked her to make up her bed so she could get some sleep. She walked up from her seat towards the bar which was situated at the front of the plane and ordered herself a drink while her seat was being transformed by the air hostess.

"I can't take my eyes off you." Nathan whispered sexily in her ear as he took a seat next to her at the bar.

His voice sent shivers through her entire body. Haley had completely underestimated how hard it would be to be so close to him but be unable to touch or talk to him. She had this craving for him that was constantly burning inside of her; she needed to touch him, to feel him, to be close to him, especially when he spoke to her like that. His voice was an immediate turn on. Haley looked over at him, finding his incredible blue eyes running up and down her body.

"That dress looks sexy as hell on you too." Nathan whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the barman sat Haley's drink down next to her and turned to Nathan to ask what he wanted to drink. "Scotch please."

Haley blushed again and bit her lip, fighting the urges her body was screaming out at her. She wanted to kiss him so badly. It was physical torture, being this close to him but not being able to do anything about it.

She was biting down on those luscious lips. Nathan wished it was his teeth that were biting down on that sexy bottom lip of hers, he closed his eyes for a second, imagining what he was going to do to her later. He knew he had spouted all that shit about waiting for sex, and wanting to do things properly, but the way she sat there, dressed in an incredibly hot black and white sun dress, all his previous thoughts went out the window, and the only thought that ran through his mind was the need to fuck her. He looked around the cabin, pleased to see that most people in first class were either asleep or engrossed in their personal TV's. He moved his hand and placed it casually on her knee, and started stroking her skin with his thumb. It wasn't much, but at least he was touching her. Not that touching her knee quashed any of his desire for her, in fact, it only deepened it.

Haley nearly dropped her glass when she felt Nathan's hand on her knee. What the hell was he playing at? Haley looked around the cabin, wondering if anyone could see what he was doing, and calmed down slightly when she saw that no one was looking at them. As much as she wanted Nathan's hand on her knee, hell she actually wanted to move it further up her leg herself, she knew that it was dangerous. She gulped down her drink and cleared her throat, as she turned to find that her seat had magically been changed into a bed. "I'm going to go and get some rest." She said as she got up from the seat, causing Nathan's hand to drop off her.

Nathan sighed as he watched her get into the bed. He downed the rest of his scotch and made his way back to his seat, putting the headphones over his ears, hoping that a movie would take his mind out of the gutter. He was sure it wouldn't though. Haley was too sexy for him to stop thinking about her now that he had started.

~*~

Haley and Nathan walked into the lobby of their hotel. "Oh my god Nathan, this is absolutely beautiful!" Haley said, completely mesmerised by the decor of the place, it was classy and elegant, absolutely stunning.

"I'm glad you like it." Nathan said as he kissed her forehead. "Do you want to wait on the chairs while I check us in?"

"Sure." Haley smiled at him as she made her way over to the seats he had motioned to. Haley couldn't believe that they were actually here. And they could act like a normal couple. They could hold hands, and wrap their arms around each other, and kiss each other whenever they liked. It was honestly one of the best feelings she'd had in her life. It was amazing how it was the simple things that meant so much to you.

Haley jolted herself out of her daydream and reached down into her bag, pulling out her mobile phone. She still hadn't turned it on from the plane ride, she had been so anxious to get to the resort. She turned it on and waited for it to connect to a new network. About a minute later, Haley stared at her phone, seeing that it was still searching for available networks. She frowned another minute later when it beeped at her and told her that there were no available networks in range. She got up from the chairs and made her way over to Nathan. "Nathan, do you have any signal on your phone here?" Haley asked him.

"Let me see." Nathan pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed some keys to bring it back to life. "Erm, no baby, I don't."

"We don't tend to get any signal here I'm afraid." The receptionist smiled warmly at the two of them.

"That is no problem at all!" Haley said as she turned her phone off again, placed it back in her bag and wrapped her arm around Nathan. "That means I have you all to myself!"

"You do anyway baby." Nathan said as he kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Okay, Mr and Mrs Scott, your room number is 150, just follow the signs. The porter has taken your bags to your room already." The receptionist said to them.

Haley couldn't help laughing at being called Mrs Scott, Nathan joined in too. "We're not married." Haley said with a smile to the receptionist.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed you were."

"No problem, she wishes she was though!" Nathan said with a cheeky grin.

Haley gasped as she punched him playfully in the stomach.

"Ouch Hales!" Nathan said as he put his hand over the spot she had just punched. "You see what I have to put up with!"

"Come on Nathan, stop trying to get the receptionist to feel sorry for you." Haley said as she smiled at the receptionist and dragged Nathan towards the room.

~*~

Haley stood in the bathroom of their suite and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to hand it to Brooke; the new bikini looked very good on her. She smiled at herself as she turned and opened the door, wondering where Nathan was. She walked through the lounge and dining area and saw Nathan had already found his way into their private pool.

Nathan watched as Haley walked through the dining area and out onto the decked area of their room. She looked sexy as hell in her turquoise bikini, the colour looked amazing on her, and her body looked so damn hot. Nathan could feel his body react to what was in front of him. He couldn't take his eyes off her, the way her hips swayed as she walked towards the pool, and then there were those fantastic legs which were so sexy and curvy. He smiled at her as she dived into the pool. He swam over to where she surfaced and pulled her close to him. "You are so hot Haley James."

"So are you, Nathan Scott."

Nathan smiled at her as he lent in a kissed her lips ever so lightly. He had wanted to kiss her ever since he had seen her in the airport that morning, but they hadn't been alone until now. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and groaned when he felt his tongue connect with hers.

Haley proceeded to wrap her legs around him; she wanted to be as close to him as possible. He was all consuming, and when he was kissing her so tenderly and softly, a single coherent thought couldn't be formed in her head. She pulled away breathlessly and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck.

"So are you happy to be here?" Nathan asked her, as he stared into her beautiful brown eyes.

Haley nodded and smiled at him. She didn't want to be anywhere else right now. If she had it her way, she and Nathan would stay like this forever.

"Good. I am too." Nathan smiled back at her.

Haley gave him a quick peck on the lips and unwrapped herself from him. She swam towards the steps and got out of the pool, placing herself on one of the sun loungers that was on the deck. She desperately needed to get some colour on her skin and so lay down on her stomach and closed her eyes, hearing Nathan getting out of the pool as she started to relax.

Nathan climbed out of the pool and walked back inside their room, leaning against the patio door as he watched Haley lying down in the sun, the water droplets glistening on her body. He sighed as he walked inside and grabbed the sun cream. He really was going to have to control himself.

Haley jumped as she felt something incredibly cold on her back, but relaxed back down again when she felt Nathan's hands start to rub sun cream into her back. He sat himself down next to her on her lounger and ran his hands up and down her back. Haley moaned softly when she felt him start to massage the cream into her body.

Nathan grabbed the bottle that he had placed on the floor and placed one leg on the other side of the sun lounger, lowering himself so he was now straddling Haley on the lounger, and squeezed some more lotion onto her back. He ran his hands right up the middle of her back towards her shoulders, massaging the lotion into her body with his fingers. He brought his hands back down and reached underneath the string of her bikini, making sure that he had covered her entire back with sun cream. He reached on the floor for the bottle again and as he sat back up, his eyes grew wide when he saw Haley's hands untying the string to her bikini, and then raising her body off the lounger slightly so she could peel the top off her and he watched in amazement as she flung it on the floor. "Someone's being a bit bold!" Nathan said as he rubbed the last bit of sun cream into her back. It was driving him crazy knowing that her perfect breasts were completely naked; he wanted to flip her over so she was lying on her back so he could just stare at them.

"What!" Haley said. "I don't want any tan lines!"

Nathan laughed at her as he got off her and placed himself on the sun lounger next to her. He had to get off her, otherwise who knows what he would have done. He could feel his defences against sex with Haley wavering more and more. The need for her was consuming his every thought. He turned his head so he could look at her. With a body like that, who wouldn't want to sleep with her? He could feel himself becoming more and more torn between waiting for the perfect moment to have sex and wanting to fuck her senseless. Either way, this world of limbo was driving him insane.

~*~

Peyton sat herself down in front of the PC and opened the search engine page. She hadn't been able to shake that feeling that Haley had lied to her yesterday when she had told her about the 'basketball thing' that Jake has supposedly called her about. As far as Peyton was aware, Nathan's basketball season had ended and he was now on a break too. She typed in his name and basketball games and held her breath as she search page loaded.

Nothing. Apparently Haley did lie to her. According to the NBA website, Peyton had been right, the Knicks' season was over and he was not playing basketball until pre-season basketball training started up in a couple of months.

Peyton sighed to herself. She picked up the phone and pressed the speed dial to Haley's number. She didn't like to think what she was really doing this week, and she couldn't help but wonder what the hell Jake had been calling her about, if it wasn't for a basketball ticket. What else could Haley be doing with Nathan?

Peyton stared at her phone in disbelief. Haley's phone hadn't even rung; it had just gone straight to voicemail. Peyton hung up the phone and dialled the number herself, hoping that if she did that it would at least ring this time. She groaned out loud when it went straight to voicemail again. She left Haley a message and asked her to call her back as soon as she got the voicemail.

Peyton hung up the phone and called Haley's home number, hoping that she would be there, just like she said she would be this week. At least that phone rang, but it too went to voicemail. Peyton slammed the phone down. _Where the hell was she?_

~*~

Haley and Nathan walked back from the restaurant in the warm night air, their arms wrapped firmly around each other. Nathan couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was. He had really enjoyed tonight, it was nice to be able to go to a restaurant with Haley instead of sitting at one of their dining room tables. He pulled Haley closer to him and placed a kiss on her head.

Haley glanced up and him and smiled. She was completely content, walking around the resort in Nathan's arms. This is how she wanted it to be between them always. She didn't want to have to hide their relationship anymore. But she knew she was going to have to tell Peyton about them first before they told the world.

Nathan led them back towards their room, his arm clasped firmly around her waist. Once they were outside their room, he lent Haley against the door. "Thank you for coming here with me Hales."

"Are you joking?! Thank you for suggesting this Nathan. It's amazing."

"We need to tell people about us soon. I don't think I can take the sneaking around in New York after being able to be so carefree with you here."

"I know, it's going to be hard to go back to reality." Haley agreed.

Nathan smiled at her, as he brought his hand up to her face. "Well at least we have a few more days living in the fantasy land."

Haley nodded as she brought her face up towards Nathan's capturing his lips with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her.

Nathan kissed Haley back hungrily. She looked so beautiful in her black v-neck dress; he hadn't been able to keep his hands off her all night. He pushed her back against the door so he was leaning up against her, pushing his body into hers, letting her know how much he wanted her. He pulled away from her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her lightly on the lips, and then moved his lips down her cheek towards her neck. He nipped and licked his way down her neck, finding her pulse point and swirling his tongue around in circles, causing Haley to moan, which made Nathan smile against her neck.

He grabbed the key card from his pocket and slid it into the door, and pushing Haley inside, kicking the door closed with his foot, his lips never leaving her neck. He turned them around so that she was up against the door again, and continued his ravaging attack on her neck.

Haley moved her head to the side so that he could get better access and couldn't help the moans escaping from her mouth. She could feel his hands running along her ass and up her back, and up to her shoulders. He slid the straps of her dress down her arm and started kissing her shoulder ever so lightly; it was almost as if he was tickling her. Her own hands had an agenda of their own; they were frantically moving along his body, until she found the hem of his polo shirt and pulled it up his body, throwing it on the floor once she had got it over his head. Her eyes ran hungrily along his body as he hands traced the contours of his muscles. Haley licked her lips as she started to kiss her way down his chest, her tongue tracing the lines of his toned chest.

Nathan groaned as he felt Haley kiss her way back up his body. He moved his hands to her ass and scooped her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around him. Nathan moved his hands down her bare legs and took her shoes off, throwing them to the ground. Her lips had moved to his neck and Nathan closed his eyes. "God Haley, you're driving me crazy."

Haley kissed her way back to his mouth, capturing his lips in a frenzied kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth tangling with her own. She could literally kiss him forever.

Nathan moved Haley away from the door and carried her into the suite, his lips still connected to hers. He found the dining room table and sat Haley down on it, as he moved his mouth from hers and concentrated on kissing her neck and shoulders. His hands found their way to the back of her dress and he unzipped it, lifting her off the table so he could take the dress off her. He stood back from her, his eyes full of desire for her, ravaging her; she was dressed in a satin black underwear set and looked so sexy.

He kissed her on the lips, as his hands unclipped her bra and peeled it off her, throwing it on the floor. His mouth moved down towards her breasts, as he took her nipple in his mouth, sucking hard on it and running his tongue around and over it.

Haley couldn't help her moaning, she was so turned on in that moment. She felt Nathan's hand run slowly up her leg as his mouth moved to her other breast, and as his hand ran ever so lightly over her centre, she gasped as she felt him press into her, and then his hand ran slowly down her other leg.

Nathan could feel how wet she was through her panties. He was turned on to the point where he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to restrain himself tonight. He pulled his mouth away from her breast and looked at her, her eyes full of desire for him. He pushed her back down onto the table so she was now lying down and rested his hands on either side of her, leaning down so he could kiss her on the lips.

Haley felt him pull away from the kiss and watched as he stood back up, her eyes firmly locked on his. She watched as he placed his hands on the rim of her panties and she lifted her bum up so he could take them off. He peeled them off her so slowly, his intense gaze fixed on hers.

He leaned back down over her, covering her flat stomach in feather light kisses, as he trailed his hand seductively up her thigh, then proceeded to run his finger along her folds.

Haley's breathing had increased in pace, Nathan was teasing her, all she wanted was for him to slide his fingers inside of her, but he seemed to have other ideas. He ran his fingers ever so slowly over her, bringing them back up and brushing her clit so lightly, but even the slightest touch from him turned her on even more. Haley wiggled on the table as his fingers moved over her opening, and moaned in frustration when he moved away from her again. "Nathan." She said breathlessly. "Don't tease."

Nathan smiled against her stomach as he moved his fingers back towards her opening. She was so wet now; it was such a turn on.

Haley gasped as she felt his fingers enter her slowly, and sighed as she felt Nathan start to build up a rhythm. She could feel her heart rate start to increase as he quickened the pace of his fingers, pumping them in and out of her. She arched her back in pleasure and moaned his name, encouraging him to continue what he was doing, it felt simply divine. Haley closed her eyes and leaned into the table, as she felt the pleasure building inside of her.

All of a sudden, Haley felt his fingers slow down and eventually he took them out of her. Haley leaned up from where she lay on the table, her stomach rising and falling with her deep breathing, as she wondered what the hell he was doing. There was no way he was starting that and not finishing it. She caught his eye and saw the mischievous glint in them and she wondered what he had up his sleeve.

Nathan looked deeply into her eyes and smiled to himself, he could read that expression loud and clear, she wanted more, and God did he want to give it to her. He licked his lips as his hands ran down her legs to the soles of her feet and lifted them up, placing them on the edge of the table, on either side of his body. He saw the look of confusion in her eyes, and just smiled at her, as he lent over her and kissed her stomach again.

Haley lent back down on the table, wondering why he had placed her legs on the table. She sighed as she felt his kisses move past her belly button and as his mouth moved lower and lower, she gasped as she felt his tongue swirl around her clit, feeling the pleasure build inside of her all over again. Nathan's tongue moved expertly around her and all Haley could do was close her eyes and let the satisfaction overtake her, she had never felt anything like this before. Her breathing and heart rate had increased so much now, she was sure she was going to explode. Nathan flicked his tongue over her clit repeatedly as Haley felt her body react, her toes curling over the edge of the table, her breathing rising in intensity as she arched her back as she let the most intense orgasm she had ever had consume her.

Nathan felt Haley's body contract as she cried out his name, his tongue still moving over her clit, devouring her, and suddenly felt very pleased with himself. He pulled away from her and started kissing his way back up her stomach, swirling his tongue around her belly button.

Haley calmed her breathing down and lent back up from the table, causing Nathan to stand back upright. Haley wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him to her, as she kissed him with such ferocity. She pulled away and jumped off the table, and begun kissing her way down his body, before sinking to her knees to return the favour to him.

~*~

"God it's so hot." Haley moaned. The temperature today was even hotter than it was yesterday. Haley turned over in her sun lounger and looked over at Nathan, who was sprawled out on his own lounger. They had decided to go down to the beach today instead of hanging around their private pool, wanting a change of pace. And plus, Haley knew that if they had stayed near their room, they wouldn't be doing much sunbathing. Haley blushed to herself yet again as she thought back to the activities they had shared last night. "I'm going to go for a dip, you fancy coming in with me?" She asked Nathan.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay here for a bit." Nathan responded as he smiled at Haley.

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit."

Nathan sat up in his sun lounger as he watched Haley walk away from him towards the sea. He really was a lucky fucker. Haley was amazing in every way, sexy, intelligent, and extremely caring. He had no idea what he had done to end up with someone like her. He watched as she swam around for a bit, cooling off. He looked around the deserted beach, and then brought his focus back to Haley, who had just emerged from the water and was walking back over to him, looking every inch the sexy goddess in her white bikini. Nathan couldn't help his body's reaction; it was just something she did to him. He got up off the lounger and ran towards her, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder as he ran back into the sea.

"Nathan!" Haley half screamed and half laughed as he ran back into the water, and then proceeded to dunk them both underneath the sea. Haley laughed when she emerged and swam towards him, wrapping her legs around him.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "God I'm never going to want to go back to New York!"

"Me neither!"

"I just wish everything could change. I wish we were just two normal people who could have a normal relationship, without all this press shit."

"I know Nathan, so do I." Haley sighed.

"Did I tell you that bikini looks hot as hell on you?" Nathan said cheekily.

"No I don't think you did." Haley said with a smile.

Nathan smiled back as he pulled Haley in towards him and captured her lips in a scorching hot kiss, allowing her tongue instant access to her mouth.

Haley wrapped her arms further around his neck and clenched her thighs together, wanting to be as close to him as possible as she moved her mouth against his.

They were both so caught up in each other, neither of them noticed the speedboat that came up behind them, nor did they hear the snapping of photographs being taken. One thing was certain; things were definitely going to change when they got back to New York.

**AN – So what did you think?! Lots of drama coming up in the next chapter...! x **


	13. Chapter 13

**AN – Thanks so much for the reviews of the last chapter – they all mean so much to me! I had a pretty crappy week and a half which is why I didn't update so quickly on the last chapter, but your reviews made me feel a million times better so thank you very much! Your comments really do help inspire me to find time to get the next chapter up as soon as possible so thank you for taking the time to leave them for me! **

**On a completely different note, my fiancé gave me one of my Christmas pressies on Friday – I got two super cute guinea pigs! I have been spending all weekend playing with them, they are so adorable! If I'm honest, I was a little shocked when I unwrapped the present (which was their water bottle – my fiancé had the guinea pigs and their cage in the car still!!), given that I had been hinting at getting some jewellery for Christmas, but they are lovely!**

**So anyway here's the next chapter – quite a bit of drama coming up in the next couple of chapters – I bet you are all wondering what Peyton's reaction is going to be...**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Haley stood in the bathroom of the suite she and Nathan had been calling home for the past couple of days; staring at her reflection in the mirror while applying the finishing touches to her makeup. It was her and Nathan's last night in Barbados and he had arranged a surprise for her, of which he had told her absolutely nothing about what was going to happen or where they were going, except to tell her to dress up for it, which was exactly what she was doing right now. She had chosen to wear an emerald green and black silk embroidered v-neck dress, which stopped at her knees, with her black Jimmy Choo sandals. Once she was happy with her makeup, she ran her fingers through her curled hair, setting it all in place, and then stepped back from the mirror to check herself over. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself. The time away with Nathan, away from all the hustle and bustle and of course the press in New York, had made her realise how much she really did like him, and it also made her realise how much she didn't want to have to hide their relationship anymore. She couldn't deal with not being able to touch him in public once they were back in New York; it had been so different here in Barbados. Everything had been so perfect in Barbados, the feeling of being so carefree and not having to look over your shoulder every five seconds, of not having to pretend that they weren't together, was fantastic and Haley didn't want to go back to the way things were before she and Nathan had come away. She closed her eyes, thinking about what Peyton's reaction was going to be like once she told her about her new relationship, imagining the shouting match that she was sure would ensue, but quickly opened her eyes again and mentally told herself off, she didn't want to be thinking about Peyton at the moment, it wasn't as if she was going to tell Peyton about her and Nathan right now, so she was just going to forget about her impending conversation and enjoy her last night in Barbados with Nathan.

Nathan stood in front of the mirror attached to the wardrobe in the suite, finding himself wrestling with his tie. He never could tie them up properly and given how nervous he was about tonight, he didn't have a hope in hell of tying it up properly. He groaned in frustration as he threw it back inside the wardrobe, he was just going to have to make do without a tie this evening. He unbuttoned a couple of the buttons on his blue shirt and placed his suit jacket on his body and stared into the mirror. It would do. He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times and once satisfied with his appearance; he took a seat on the bed and waited for Haley to emerge from the bathroom. She had been in there for about an hour and a half now, she had left him while they were sunbathing by their pool, saying she was going to have a bath and get ready, and he hadn't seen her since. He shook his head at how much of a girl she really was, spending ages getting ready for a date, when he had spent all of twenty minutes at the most getting ready himself. "Hales, are you nearly ready to go?" Nathan shouted out as he looked at his watch, seeing that they were due be at tonight's destination in five minutes.

"Yep, I'll be out in two seconds." Haley called back to him, as she fastened her bracelet on her wrist and peered into the mirror for the last time, just double checking her appearance. She zipped up her makeup bag and then walked out of the bathroom; ready to enjoy their last night in paradise.

Nathan heard the bathroom door being opened and instinctively stood up from where he was sitting on the bed. He watched as Haley walked towards him, looking every inch the stunning woman she was. "Haley, you look amazing." He told her as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. He was unable to take his eyes off her phenomenal body, her sexy curves shown off to perfection by the dress she was wearing, which hugged her in all the right places, and he found his eyes drawn to the bit of cleavage that was on show, so was so sexy.

Haley smiled at him as her eyes wandered up and down his body. He was dressed in a gorgeous suit, tailored perfectly to his fabulous body, and that blue shirt he was wearing made his eyes look even more stunning than they usually did. "Thank you Nathan, so do you." Haley said to him as she leaned up and placed a light kiss on his lips and then unwrapped herself from him, as he took her hand and led her to the door. "So where are we going?" Haley asked, hoping that this time he would tell her what they were going to be doing this evening, she had been on at him all day to tell her what he had planned when he had told her he had something special arranged this evening, and he hadn't revealed anything to her all day, she was literally going to burst with all the anticipation that was building up inside of her.

"We are going down to the beach." Nathan responded as he smiled down at her and closed the door to their suite, walking them both down the path towards the section of beach where he had arranged their evening plans, praying that she would like what he had decided for them to do on their last night here.

Haley couldn't help the giddiness she felt as she walked hand in hand with Nathan down to the beach. It was funny, now that they had spent all this time together, she didn't want to go back to New York, where they would be staying in separate houses, she was so used to having him around her now, even though this trip had only been for a couple of days, and not having him near her all the time was going to be a very hard adjustment, one that she wasn't sure she even wanted to make. She looked around the resort which had been their home for the last couple of days, wanting to savour every moment of this evening, wanting to remember everything, the warm breeze, the sound of the animals in the trees and plants that surrounded them, they way she felt when she looked up at Nathan, being met with those beautiful eyes, it was all so special to her. She wanted to wrap this whole trip up and place it in a box which she could open at any time to remember the way she was feeling right now. She continued walking forward towards the beach but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was in front of her. "Nathan, did you plan all this?" She gasped as she turned to face him, her eyes wide with surprise, and a huge smile on her face.

Nathan smiled back at her, happy that she was so pleased with what he had arranged. He nodded his head and moved them forward towards the table, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Haley couldn't stop sighing contentedly at what she saw in front of her. A table was set out on the sand, with candles covering the table and the space around them, a waiter was stood to the left with a trolley of what Haley presumed was their food for the evening, and there was a bottle of champagne on ice sat next to the table. Nathan walked over to the table and pulled out the seat on the left hand side for Haley and she walked over and placed herself down in the seat, and watched as Nathan sat down opposite her. The ocean was lapping the shore not too far away from them, and as Haley look up at the star lit sky, and then over at Nathan, she really couldn't think of anywhere on Earth she would rather be. "Nathan this is so amazing, thank you so much!" Haley said with a smile.

"You're welcome Hales." Nathan said as he placed his hand over Haley's which was resting on the table, giving it a little squeeze and returning her smile.

~*~

Peyton sat back in her chair as she switched her PC off after another ridiculously busy day. She was going to pour herself an extremely large glass of wine once she got home tonight, she definitely needed it after the crazy day she had just had. She turned the screen off on the PC and was just about to pick up the phone and record her message for the evening when it rang. "For fucks sake!" She cried out as she rubbed her hands over her face. Why was it that every time she was ready to leave the office, some moron had to call so she had another thing to do before she could leave? She sighed as she picked up the phone and placed her polite telephone voice on her. "Hello, Peyton Sawyer speaking." She said as she held the phone up to her ear, wondering what crap this person was going to ask next.

"Hi is that Peyton Sawyer, Haley James' manager?" A voice spoke down the line to Peyton.

Peyton sighed. Great, it was another asshole wanting something to do with Haley. It was a shame that these idiots didn't stay away from her given that Haley was on a break, but that wasn't the way these people worked, they worked twenty-four seven and expected Peyton to be available to talk to them whenever they wanted. "Yes this is she." Peyton responded tiredly.

"Great. I was wondering if you could let me know how long Haley James has been seeing Nathan Scott?" Came the woman's voice again.

Peyton instinctively sat up from her chair, her brain on full alert now. "I'm sorry but Haley James is not seeing Nathan Scott. I thought we cleared that up a couple of months ago." Peyton said sweetly, not wanting to piss the reporter off. _For crying out loud! _Peyton thought to herself, these people just couldn't let it rest. It was one picture of Haley and Nathan talking which was taken months ago, and they just wouldn't let it die! God, they must be in desperate need of story if they were pulling this out of the woodwork again. Peyton really didn't know how many times she could tell the world that nothing was going on between them.

"Well what do you have to say about the two of them being snapped kissing?" The reporter said smugly.

_What the fuck?! _Peyton thought to herself, she certainly hadn't seen a picture of them kissing. The reporter must just be bluffing, trying to get Peyton to say something was going on when it clearly wasn't. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I have seen a picture of them kissing, so I'm afraid your little story is a complete waste of time. And believe you me, if you print something which is untrue, we will consider suing, so I would think very carefully about what you write about my client..."

"Well I have the picture in front of me, and believe me; this picture definitely shows that there is something going on between the two of them." The reporter interrupted.

_What the hell was she talking about?! _Peyton thought, growing increasingly agitated at this woman, well actually, she was growing agitated with the whole world, it just so happened that this woman was on the other end of the phone right now. "Well like I said, I haven't seen any picture taken of Haley with Nathan in about a month now so you must be mistaken." Peyton responded.

"Well I can e-mail you a copy of this picture that was taken very recently, in fact I think it was taken a few days ago. I think all the leading papers and magazines are running stories on it tomorrow, I know we are, which is why I would like a comment from you." The reporter said, thinking that if she was helpful to Peyton, she might get her comment back in return.

"Well if you could e-mail that through to me that would be great. At least then I'll know what you are going on about." Peyton sighed as she turned her PC on again, sure that this picture had to be a fake. She proceeded to give out her e-mail address to the woman and also took down her number so she could call her back with a comment once she'd had a chance to look at this so called picture of Haley with Nathan.

Peyton then hung up the phone and slouched back in her seat as she waited for this e-mail to come through. It had to be a fake. There was no way Haley would be kissing Nathan without telling her about it, she was her manager, she managed her career, and she had made a point of telling Haley when she took on this role that she needed to know everything about her life so that she could comment on things like this, Peyton knew how to play the press, but she couldn't play along if she didn't have all the facts in front of her.

However, Peyton couldn't help that voice in her head which was taunting her, reminding her of how much Haley liked Nathan, and she knew how persistent his brand of men could be, not giving up until they had got what they had intended to get from a woman, which for Nathan, well his intentions were obvious to Peyton, from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her at the charity gala, his intentions were to sleep with Haley, and she knew that once he was finished with her, he would dump her just like he had done to all the women before Haley. And then it would be she who would have to pick up all the pieces, tell the record label why they weren't getting their songs, tell the world that Haley was fine when in reality she would be sitting at home crying over the little punk. She tried to silence the voice, which was saying there was a huge possibility that this picture wasn't a fake, but she couldn't. She bit down on her nails as she waited for the e-mail, willing it to come soon, she couldn't take the anticipation anymore.

She stared at the screen, clicking the refresh button repeatedly, but nothing was happening. She cried out in frustration as she let go of the mouse and sat back in the chair and counted to ten, giving her computer time to receive this stupid e-mail. Once she got to ten, she nervously placed her hand on the mouse and closed her eyes as she clicked down on the refresh button, and opened them slowly, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that the e-mail had finally arrived.

She opened it quickly, clicking down on the attachment and opening the first picture that had been sent through. She gasped at what she saw. "Fuck." She cried out. That was definitely Haley and Nathan, surrounded by blue seas, kissing the life out of each other. _Why on Earth was she doing it?_ "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She cried out again, as she opened the rest of the attachments, that showed even more pictures of Haley and Nathan kissing, which only taunted her more. She closed the pictures in disgust, feeling her heart rate quicken. "Why don't people fucking ever listen to me." She mumbled to herself as she picked up the phone and called the reporter back, wanting some answers as to where the hell she had got these pictures from.

"Hello." The voice sang down the phone.

_She would be fucking cheery. _Peyton thought to herself. She doesn't have a singer whose career is going to be in tatters once this fucking story gets out. All she is going to have is a magazine which sells a record amount of copies because she has pictures of her client and some basketball prick kissing on the fucking cover. "This is Peyton Sawyer speaking." Peyton said through gritted teeth.

"Oh hi Peyton. Did you get the e-mail then?"

"Yes I got the e-mail. May I ask, where did you get those pictures from?" Peyton asked as politely as she could.

"We bought them from a freelance photographer, who took the pictures in Barbados a few days ago, like I said earlier."

_Fuck! Barbados. What on Earth was Haley doing in Barbados? And why the fuck was she there with Nathan Scott? _Peyton thought to herself. What the fuck was she going to do about this?!

"So can you confirm that Haley James is seeing Nathan Scott?" The reporter asked when she realised Peyton wasn't going to say anything given that she had been quiet for the last thirty seconds.

"I'm sorry; I am going to have to speak with Haley before I can comment." Peyton said sweetly.

"Well we are willing to make a very generous offer for an exclusive interview with Haley."

"As I said, I will have to discuss this all with Haley once she returns to work." Peyton mumbled. "Thank you." And with that she hung up the phone and banged her head on the table, not really adding to the huge headache she had already.

Peyton picked up the phone again and called Haley's mobile, which of course went straight to voicemail. She then tried her home phone which went to voicemail after the standard eight rings. _Where the fuck was she and why the hell wasn't her phone switched on?_

~*~

Haley was absolutely stuffed from her delicious dinner and was now lying on a blanket which had been placed on the sand and was lying wrapped up in Nathan's arms with her head resting on his chest. She could hear the gentle beating of his heart which together with the lapping of the sea against the shore was relaxing her completely. She closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the moment but she couldn't shake that Sunday evening feeling from her head. She felt like she was waiting outside the principal's office, waiting for that moment when her secret would be revealed and she would be given detention for the rest of her life. She knew being in a relationship with Nathan wasn't that bad but she also knew that the reaction from Peyton and probably the rest of the world wasn't going to be a bed of roses either. Haley sighed loudly, trying to rid those thoughts from her head.

Nathan stroked Haley's hair as she rested her head on his chest. He had never been happier than the time he had spent on this trip with her, being able to have her all to himself, but they were heading back to New York tomorrow, back to reality and back to where they couldn't be this carefree at all. He heard Haley's sigh and lifted his head from the blanket to look at her. "What's wrong Hales?" He asked.

Haley sighed again. "Nothing." She responded as she closed her eyes again, finding her fingers fiddling with the buttons on Nathan's shirt.

"Come on Hales, I know it's not nothing, that was a huge sigh!"

Haley opened her eyes and turned her head so she could look up at Nathan. "I was just thinking about tomorrow and us going home." Haley revealed.

Nathan nodded his head. "I was too. It's not going to be much fun is it?"

"No. I just want us to be able to be like this all the time." Haley moaned.

"So do I. But you're going to have to tell Peyton first and then we have to deal with the whole world knowing."

"I know, and I'm going to tell her. I just need to find the right time to do it, but unfortunately, I don't know if there will ever be the right time to tell her about this."

"She's not going to like it is she?" Nathan asked.

"Probably not. But at the end of the day, it's my decision who I date, isn't it, not hers or anybody else's, she just has to do her job."

"I just wish this was easier for you." Nathan said as she placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Haley turned herself over so she was now lying on her stomach and was facing Nathan; she reached up and ran her hand softly down his cheek. "What do you mean?" Haley asked.

"If I was someone who Peyton approved of, then this wouldn't be so hard for you to deal with, would it?" Nathan sighed.

"Nathan." Haley said as she moved his head with her hand so he was looking right at her. "I don't care whether Peyton approves of you or not. I am here with you now, and I want to be with you. That is all that matters." Haley moved herself so she was lying on top of him and kissed him ever so lightly on the lips.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley's waist, securing her on top of him and looked into her eyes. "I want to be with you too." He said as he leant up and kissed her on the lips and then pulled away, stroking the strands of her hair that were loose on her face, placing them behind her ear and then resting the palm of his hand on her cheek.

Haley relaxed into Nathan's palm as it rested against her cheek, closing her eyes as she kissed him again on the lips, feeling Nathan's mouth move with hers. She licked her way along his bottom lip, asking for entry and as soon as she felt Nathan's mouth open, she pushed her tongue into his mouth, searching for his.

Nathan felt Haley's tongue collide with his own and couldn't help the moan that escaped from his lips. He felt Haley wiggle on top of him, sliding her body against his, causing his body to react. His hands ran down her back and rested on her ass, savouring the feel of her body moving against his.

Haley kissed her way along Nathan's jaw, towards his neck, biting and sucking her way down, before finding his pulse point, licking her way around it, as her hands started to unbutton his shirt, revealing his perfectly chiselled body.

Nathan moved his neck to the side, allowing Haley all the access she needed to continue doing what she was doing to him, which in essence was turning him on so much, he wasn't sure how much more he could take without him doing something to her. He felt his animal instincts take over as he flipped Haley over and lay on top of her, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss as his hands moved down to her cleavage which was exposed from her dress, his fingers tracing the curves of her breasts, as he forced his tongue into her mouth, tangling his own with hers.

Haley could feel the craving coming from his kiss, knowing that tonight she needed more from Nathan than she'd had before, so she returned the hunger, kissing him back as hard as she could. Eventually she pulled away from him, gasping for air as she felt Nathan's forehead rest against hers, his breathing as heavy as hers was. The need for him was only intensifying; Haley knew she needed him tonight. "I think we should go back to the room." Haley panted as her hands ran down Nathan's back.

Nathan nodded, knowing exactly what she was saying to him and he wanted it too. He rolled off Haley and stood up, holding out his hands so he could help pull her up from the blanket, and as she stood up he pulled her into his side and he wrapped his arm around her waist leading them back to their room, unable to help the thumping of his heart with every step they took, the expectation of what was going to happen once they got back to the room and the excitement at the prospect of that thought, was running through him like wildfire.

Haley leaned into Nathan, her heart beating fast with anticipation as they got closer and closer to their suite. She matched his eager pace step for step and they were soon outside the door to their suite. Haley was sure Nathan must be able to hear the beating of her heart now, she was actually nervous about what was going to happen once they walked into that room, but it was a good kind of nervous, and she knew that tonight was going to be nothing less than perfect.

Nathan unwrapped his arm from around Haley's waist and reached into his pocket to pull out the door key, and once he found it, he placed it into the card reader which was at side of the door and opened it up, holding the door open for Haley, allowing her to walk in first, before he walked in behind her, closing it once he was inside. His heart was literally pounding, his palms sweating, it seemed that he knew that tonight was going to be the night, well; you couldn't get more romantic than dinner on a beach in Barbados right? And as much as he was nervous, he was also excited as hell about what was going to happen. He reached out and grabbed her arm, a jolt of electricity running up and down his body as he touched her.

Haley felt Nathan tug on her arm as he turned her around and pulled her flush to him. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to be closer to him. She looked into Nathan's eyes, and found herself surprised at the dark hue they took on. She watched his eyes as he leant into her, capturing her lips in a sensuous kiss.

Haley literally melted on the spot, his kiss was so full of want and need for her, she felt like he spoke a thousand words with that kiss. She felt his tongue enter her mouth and moaned his name when she felt it collide with her own. His hands were all over her body, running up and down her back, over her ass and down her legs. She moved one of her hands into his hair, tangling her fingers in his locks, as the fingers of her other hand started to scratch lightly at the nape of his neck.

Nathan moved his mouth to Haley's neck, kissing her lightly as his hands started to unzip her dress, and once his hands had unzipped the dress, he moved them up to her shoulders, gently peeling down the straps to her dress, which caused the whole dress to drop to the ground. He took a step back from her, admiring her body, she was now dressed in nothing but a matching emerald green and black lace underwear set and looked sexy as hell. "God you are amazing." He mumbled as he walked back to her, cupping her face and kissing her mouth again, moving them both towards their bed.

Haley felt Nathan start to walk them towards the bedroom, his mouth ravaging her own as she unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and pulled it frantically off his body, throwing it to the ground as she walked backwards. She kicked her shoes off her feet, dropping four inches as she did so, but her mouth never left Nathan's. She yelped as he picked her up and threw her down on the bed, before climbing on top of her, laying his body flat against hers, as his mouth found hers again. Haley moaned as she felt the softness of his kiss, her fingers starting to run lightly down his back, and she bit down on his lower lip as she felt him pull away from her.

Nathan managed to free his lip from Haley's teeth and kissed his way down her neck towards her breasts, kissing in between her cleavage as reached underneath her and unclipped her bra, pulling it off her and throwing it on the floor beside the bed. He continued kissing his way down her stomach, and then lightly kissed his way back up her body, his mouth finding her right nipple, and his tongue licked around it before he sucked down hard on it.

Haley pushed her head back against the pillows and arched her back in pure pleasure; Nathan really knew how to work her up. Her breathing was becoming heavier as she felt her body react to the way his mouth was moving over her breast. She felt his hand run down her left side and down her leg, tickling her; before he moved his hand over her knee and then traced his fingers up her thigh, and she could help but gasp as she felt his fingers begin to stroke her through her lace panties, her fingernails digging into his back hard in response.

Nathan smiled against her breast as he moved his mouth away; leaving feather light kisses up her chest towards her shoulder. "You like that Hales?" He asked her as he continued stroking her with his fingers.

"Mmmm." Was all Haley could manage to say as she felt his fingers move up to her clit, and he started stroking it through her panties. Haley gasped even harder and felt a sense of urgency build inside of her so she moved her hands down Nathan's back and brought her hands around the front to his belt buckle, which she started to undo, kissing his shoulder as she did so. Once his belt was undone, Haley unfastened the button and unzipped his trousers, before frantically pulling them down his body, raising her leg from underneath him and pulling his trousers down the rest of the way with her foot. She moved her hand down towards his boxers, feeling his hardness through the material. She needed to feel him properly though and so moved her hands inside of his boxers and grabbed his cock with her hand and started moving up and down in a gentle rhythm.

Nathan could feel his heart rate and breathing increasing in pace with each stroke Haley delivered to him, but he knew what both he and she wanted tonight so he moved himself further down her body so her hand couldn't reach him anymore. He moved his own hand up to the waistband of Haley's panties and peeled them off her, throwing them on the ground where they joined her bra. He moved back up her body and kissed her on the mouth as he continued stroking her and then thrust two of his fingers inside of her, eliciting a loud moan to escape from Haley's lips.

Haley couldn't think of anything other than the feeling of Nathan's fingers pumping in and out of her, she couldn't even kiss him, so she moved her mouth from him, and leaned to the side, which gave Nathan ample room to start attacking her neck. Haley couldn't take it anymore; she wanted to feel his cock inside of her, his fingers weren't enough for her. She reached over to Nathan's face and cupped it with her hands, bringing it to hers. "I want you Nathan." Haley said breathlessly as she felt his fingers slow down.

Nathan looked into her chocolate coloured eyes, filled with lust and desire for him. "I want you too." He said as he kissed her shoulder, removed his fingers from her and pulled his boxers down, and placed them on the floor, before rolling off Haley and reaching over to the nightstand.

"What are you doing?" Haley asked, not liking the feeling of not having Nathan on top of her.

"I'm getting a condom." Nathan responded as he continued reaching over to the nightstand.

Haley reached over and pulled Nathan back towards her. "It's okay Nathan, I'm on the pill."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked, wanting to double check that she didn't want him to use a condom as well.

Haley nodded her head and rolled onto her side, facing Nathan leaning into him and kissing him on the lips, forcing her tongue into his mouth as she rolled them both over so that she was now on top of him. She pulled away from him and moved her legs so she was straddling him, kissed her way down his body, and then sat up and looked deeply into his eyes.

Nathan sat up with Haley, securing his hand around her waist, as he moved them to the edge of the bed and kissed her shoulder as he looked deeply into her eyes, her intense gaze being matched by his. He felt Haley lift herself up, her eyes not leaving his when he felt her sink down on top of him, and the feeling of being inside of her caused him to groan her name out loud.

Haley moaned his name as she started building up a rhythm, her hands wrapped around his neck, relishing in the fact that Nathan's cock was inside of her. She felt his hands move to her waist as he helped guide her in the rhythm she had started and when she felt his mouth capture her breast she cried out in satisfaction.

Nathan met each of Haley's movements with his own thrusts, wanting to get as deep inside of her as he could. The way she was moaning his name over and over was like a mantra to him, fuelling him on further. His hands grabbed her hips tighter, as he tried to quicken the pace, as his mouth moved to her other breast, and he gripped her nipple between his teeth and tugged lightly on it.

Haley could feel the pleasure begin to build from deep inside of her. This felt fucking amazing, and she didn't want it to end. She felt Nathan tug on her nipple and couldn't help the breathless moan that escaped from her lips. His hands were gripping her hips so tightly, and his cock was thrusting so deeply inside of her, she knew it wouldn't be long until she felt her orgasm wash over her.

Nathan felt Haley's fingernails dig into his shoulders and he knew she was close. He tightened his grip on her hips even more as he felt her orgasm overtake her body, sending shock waves through her entire body, her walls tightening around his cock, and Nathan soon found himself exploding inside of her.

Haley stopped moving up and down and rested her head against Nathan's neck, allowing her breathing to calm down. She felt Nathan's hands run up and down her back as he pushed her closer to him. She felt so connected to him, and she didn't ever want to be apart from him.

Nathan ran his hands up and down Haley's back as he moved his head so he could kiss her on top of her head. His breathing was still ragged and his heart was still racing.

Haley pulled away from him so she could look into his gorgeous eyes.

Nathan looked back into Haley's eyes, which were still hazy from their love making session, and a light flush of colour was on her cheeks. She had never looked more beautiful to him. He kissed her softly on the lips, grabbed her waist with his hands and lifted her off him, as he moved them up towards the pillows, bringing the covers of the bed over them as he wrapped her up in his arms, not wanting to let her go as a peaceful and content sleep overcame the two of them.

~*~

Peyton sat in her office with her head in her hands. She didn't know what the fuck to do about this whole situation. She was so angry with Haley for not telling her, and also for getting herself caught up with a guy like Nathan Scott, but she decided to push that anger aside, she needed to get hold of Haley and she needed to do it now. But how the hell was she going to speak to her? All she knew was that she was in Barbados. She didn't have a clue where she was staying or when she would be returning to New York.

She thought back over the last week, racking her brain for some kind of clue, something that Haley or someone else may have said which would lead her to someone who knew when she would be returning. She desperately needed to talk with Haley. She closed her eyes, thinking of all the people she had talked to, when she suddenly remembered Nathan's manager calling her, and if she remembered rightly, she had also written down his phone number.

Peyton started to throw the papers off her desk, searching for the pad of paper she had written his number in. Once she found the pad, she flicked her way furiously through the pages, when she finally came across the number. She picked up her phone and frantically dialled the number, praying that he was still at the office. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she had spoken to him and hopefully found out some information about when Haley could be expected to be home.

"Hi Jake Jagielski speaking."

_Thank the lord! _Peyton said to herself. "Hi Jake, this is Peyton Sawyer, Haley James' manager."

_Fuck! What the hell does the Ice Queen want?! _"Erm, hi." Jake said.

"I don't suppose you know where Haley is, do you?" Peyton asked, wanting to see if he knew anything.

"Erm, ah, erm, no, sorry I have no idea where she is. Why?" Jake said nervously, he always was a shitty liar.

Peyton knew he was lying to her. "Don't give me that shit Jake, it's obvious from the way you are stuttering that you know where she is."

"Fine, she is in Barbados." Jake sighed, he gave up, there was no point in trying to lie to her now, and given that she had called him, it was obvious that she knew something.

"Where in Barbados?" Peyton said agitated at the fact that he had tried to lie to her first.

"I actually don't know, I have tried to call Nathan but his phone keeps going to voicemail."

_Great so he couldn't get through to Nathan either. Helpful. _"Well do you know when they are coming home?"

"Tomorrow at four in the afternoon." Jake said, wondering if he really should be giving all this information out to Peyton, sure that Nathan would have him crucified for it.

"Right, have you arranged cars to pick them up?"

"Yes, why?"

"Right, I want you to get in the car that is picking Nathan up and I will be in the car that is picking Haley up, then I want you to come straight to my office so we can talk about what we are going to do about this mess."

"What mess?" Jake interrupted.

"Have you been getting some calls from the press today?"

"Yeah but I have been ignoring them, their numbers always come up withheld so I didn't answer."

_I must get caller ID. _Peyton thought to herself, at least that way she would be able to ignore shit like this. "Well, the papers and magazines have pictures of Haley and Nathan kissing which are going to print tonight. We need to come up with a cover story."

"Why do we need a cover story? They are seeing each other now, so what's the problem if it is out in the open?" Jake asked.

Peyton sighed. She couldn't be bothered to explain this to the moron now. "It just is a problem Jake okay, so can I count on you to bring Nathan to my office or not?" Peyton asked in a stern voice.

Jake sighed, he really didn't have a choice, he knew that if he didn't bring Nathan to Peyton's office, that she would track them down anyway. The Ice Queen was on a mission, as she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way, Jake was sure of it. "Okay, I'll bring him to your office."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." Peyton said as she hung up the phone. _Why was her life so fucking complicated?!_

~*~

Haley grabbed her suitcase from the conveyor belt and looked over at where Nathan was standing, still waiting for his case. He sent a wink her way, to which Haley smiled back at him as she walked through the doors towards the arrivals hall. Once she stepped outside the door, she was met by the flashing bulbs of the photographers, and press reporters shouting so loudly at her, she didn't have a clue what they were saying to her. Haley looked at them confused, wondering what the hell they wanted with her now. She was just stepping off a plane for crying out loud, what was so interesting about that?

She walked her way through the crowd which had gathered around her, searching desperately for the exit where her car would be waiting for her. She could have sworn she just heard one of the reporters say Nathan's name, but that couldn't possibly be right, they had no idea that they were together.

She eventually made her way to the exit and saw the car waiting for her. The driver got out and took her suitcase from her, placing it in the trunk and then opened the door for Haley as she got inside, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw Peyton sitting across from her, her arms and legs folded and her face full of rage. _Oh shit, she knows._

**AN - Lots of drama coming up in the next chapter guys! What did you think? x**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN – Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me a while to update, it seems that the festive season really took up a lot of my time and I haven't had the chance to update until now! So I do apologise! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and an amazing New Year! So it's mine and my fiancé's seven year anniversary today – I can't believe it's been that long! It really does seem like yesterday when I met him (back when I was 15!!), and I also can't believe that now that it's 2009 I can finally say that I am getting married next year! Wow! Having been engaged for way over a year and a half it feels so nice to be able to say that!**

**Your reviews were fabulous and I want to thank each of you for taking the time to review the last chapter, I bet you are all really anxious to find out what's going to happen next... and I can feel the Peyton love diminishing, but I'm not too sure if in this story it ever really existed?! Hmmm and something tells me she's going to get a bit more of a battering... but it's all fun for me to read so please do continue reviewing! Anyway, here is the next Chapter, hope you all enjoy! x**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Nathan had just collected his suitcase from the conveyor belt and began to walk towards the arrivals hall. He sighed as he dragged the case behind him, not really wanting to walk through the doors as that would mean that his blissful trip away with Haley would be over, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face reality, not yet. Barbados had been so amazing and they had ended their trip in paradise in the most perfect way last night. He couldn't believe that he had managed to keep his hands off her on the plane back home. He had kept stealing glances at her throughout the flight though, causing that sexy blush to sweep over her cheeks. He loved that he could do that to her with just a look, it was so hot.

He had never felt this happy. Before he had met Haley, he had moved from girl to girl, never allowing any relationship to develop past the one night stand phase but that had all changed now that he knew Haley. He had been scared about commitment before but that fear had faded rapidly when he realised how much Haley meant to him, and how happy she made him. She was perfect as far as he was concerned and no one else would ever come close, no one would ever mean this much to him.

He took a deep breath as he walked through the doors, only to be blinded by the flashing of what he was sure were a million cameras. He bought his hand up to cover his eyes in an effort to shield some of the light and continued to walk forward, seeing the photographers circling him, causing him to inwardly groaned to himself. He was used to the press, you had to be when you were one of the top NBA players, but all he wanted to do was go home, have a shower and then go over to Haley's place, he didn't want the hassle of dealing with photographers and reporters right now, he was not in the mood. But thinking of Haley had his thoughts wandering again. He had only been apart from her for ten minutes and he already missed her. He couldn't help the smile that spread over his lips at the thought of her and he couldn't believe how giddy he got over her, honestly it was ridiculous, but he liked that she did that to him, he loved all these new feelings that were running through him, feelings that he had never experienced before.

As he snapped out of his daydreams of Haley, he found himself growing even more pissed off with these photographers, they were literally in his way now, completely blocking the exit where he knew his car would be waiting for him. He managed to spot an opening in the circle they had made around him and so pushed his way though before speeding up his pace and walking through the revolving door, seeing his car parked outside. He headed towards the car and handed his suitcase to his driver and jumped in the back of the limo, wanting to get away from the photographers as quickly as possible.

"Fucking bastards." Nathan muttered out loud to himself as he looked through the blacked out window of the car, seeing the photographers come running through the revolving door, starting to try to take pictures of him through the window. He shook his head at them before leaning back against the seat.

"Hi Nate."

Nathan nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard the voice speaking beside him. He turned his head around to find Jake sitting across from him, his arms folded, his mouth twisted in a smile. "Jesus Christ Jake, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Nathan teased as he held out his hand for Jake to shake it.

Jake clasped his hand in Nathan's and shook it. "How's it going dude?" He asked.

"Good thanks." Nathan responded.

"Was Barbados good?" Jake asked, knowing the answer to the question already, he had seen those pictures that were taken of him and Haley, and it looked like they were both more than enjoying themselves.

Nathan raised his eyebrows and couldn't hide the smile that came across his face at the memories of his trip. "So good." Nathan returned, finding his mind wandering again to last night and the way Haley's body had seemed to fit so perfectly with his.

Jake laughed at the expression on Nathan's face; he could see how happy he was. "I'm glad."

"I have no idea what's wrong with all the photographers though?" Nathan pondered. "They went absolutely crazy when I stepped through the arrivals hall."

"Oh yeah..." Jake began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. He should have known that the press would be waiting for them both to land; they were absolutely ruthless when it came to celebrity couples, especially unconventional couples like Nathan and Haley, they always seemed to attract the most attention, and it seemed that things weren't going to change for Nathan and Haley.

Nathan noticed the way that Jake had begun to move around in his seat and instantly knew something was wrong. "What is it?" He asked Jake.

Jake sighed, unsure of what Nathan's reaction was going to be. He didn't know if he and Haley were ready for the world to know, and even if they were ready for the world to know, he was absolutely sure that Nathan wouldn't be happy with the way they had been discovered. Nathan was a man who liked to be in control. But not only did he have to reveal this to Nathan, he also had to tell him that they weren't going back to his house, but were headed to Peyton's office, for what, Jake didn't quite know, but he was smart enough to know that not turning up at Peyton's office would mean she would be more pissed than she already was, and he wasn't about to be on the receiving end of that.

"Jake come on, spit it out." Nathan prodded when he saw that Jake had spaced out on him. If something was wrong, he wanted to know about it now, so that he could try to deal with it, fix it, sort it out. He hated when things went wrong, and judging by the look of Jake's face and the way he was wiggling around, something big had gone wrong.

"It's about you and Haley..." Jake started.

"What about me and Haley?" Nathan asked, fear seeping into his voice at what Jake was about to reveal. Nothing could be wrong with him and Haley; things were far too perfect for something to happen.

"They know about you two." Jake said simply.

"Who knows?" Nathan raised his voice, wondering how anyone but Jake and him and Haley could know, they had been so careful about sneaking around, making sure that they wouldn't get caught. He was sure that they hadn't been seen.

"Everyone." Jake muttered.

"What the hell do you mean everyone?" Nathan shouted, wanting some answers.

Jake sighed, flinching at the volume of Nathan's voice. "The papers got a picture of you and Haley that was published this morning of you two in the ocean while you were away. You were kissing each other."

Nathan stared at Jake, listening to the words that were coming out of his mouth, his own dropping at the revelation. "Un-fucking believable." Nathan mumbled. He could feel his heart rate increasing with the anger that was building up inside of him. This was not the way this was supposed to happen, it wasn't the way Haley wanted this to happen. "How the hell did that happen? How the hell did they get a picture of us together?" He shouted.

"I don't know." Jake stuttered, wishing he could give Nathan some answers, but he just didn't have them.

Nathan's hands came up to rest on his head. He was more than pissed off now. "Well I guess that explains why the press were on me like fucking vultures in the airport then, doesn't it?"

Jake didn't say anything. He watched as Nathan ran his hands through his hair. He could tell in that instant how much Haley meant to him, for before, when he was pictured in the paper with a girl, he wouldn't blink an eye. He wouldn't give a shit about what they would be thinking about it, he didn't think about anyone but himself. But he knew that he was speaking for Haley as much as him, and looking at him, seeing how distressed he was, he knew Haley and he were definitely serious, that this was more than another one of his flings, this relationship was going to last.

"Shit." Nathan blew out. How the hell was he going to fix this one? He knew he and Haley had talked about going public soon, but they had both wanted to do it on their terms, not have the press reveal it in spectacular fashion. And besides, Haley had wanted to tell Peyton before they went completely public.

_Fuck! _Nathan thought to himself. Peyton. Fuck, he must speak to Haley before she spoke to Peyton so she knew what had happened, so she knew what was going on. The last thing he wanted was for Haley to speak to Peyton right now, he knew how angry she would be at this whole thing and he wanted to protect Haley from that. "I have to call Haley and tell her before she speaks to Peyton." Nathan rushed out as he went to grab his phone from his pocket and pulled it out when he found it.

"She's with Peyton right now." Jake stated and watched as Nathan stilled his frantic movements.

"How do you know that?" Nathan questioned.

"Because we are on our way to her office at the moment." Jake said quietly, not really wanting Nathan to hear that.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Nathan growled at him. He thought Jake had just said that they were going to Peyton's office, which was definitely not going to happen, but before he went off on one, he wanted to make sure he had heard him right.

"Erm, we're headed to Peyton's office." Jake winced, not looking at Nathan as he spoke to him, instead preferring to look out of the window at the scenery.

"No fucking way." Nathan shouted, his eyes growing wide when he realised that he had heard Jake correctly.

"Nathan..." Jake warned. He didn't want to get his ass kicked by not turning up at Peyton's office. She scared the living daylights out of him.

"There is no way in hell I am stepping into that bitch's office." Nathan spit out. He meant it, she was like the Devil or something, he was sure of it. He was far too tired to deal with her right now and all he wanted to do was curl up with Haley and forget about this whole thing. He didn't have the strength in him today to deal with having to fight and argue with anyone, let alone her.

"Nathan, we have to go."

"Why?" Nathan shouted. "She already hates me anyway so there's no point in me trying to convince her otherwise."

Jake sighed. He wasn't going to correct what Nathan had just said, because it was true, Peyton really didn't like Nathan. But Jake knew they all did need to talk and so he was going to have to persuade him to go there. "Well we could just turn around and leave Haley to deal with Peyton by herself if you want..." Jake started; knowing fore well that Nathan wouldn't leave Haley to deal with Peyton alone.

Nathan couldn't leave Haley alone with her, who knows what shit Peyton was going to do and say in the office, but it was probably better if her was there to defend himself anyway, and plus he wanted to protect Haley from her rampage. Nathan sighed, knowing that he was about to walk into the lion's den but he needed and wanted to see Haley. "No." Nathan said as he blew out a long breath. "Let's get this over and done with."

~*~

Haley stared out of the window, just like she had been doing for the last twenty minutes. They were so close to Peyton's office now and Haley sighed as she turned to look at Peyton. She hadn't said a word to her the whole time she had been in the car and it was driving her crazy. She had just sat there, not moving an inch, her arms crossed over her chest, one leg crossed over the other, her lips glued together, and she hadn't even looked at her.

The car pulled up outside her office and Peyton walked out of the car, slamming the door on her side shut as Haley watched her stomp into the office building, she didn't even wait for the driver to open her door, it seemed she wanted to get away from her that quickly. Haley sighed to herself. Well it was clear that Peyton was absolutely furious with her. She watched as the diver opened her door for her and she stepped out of the car, and walked into the building following Peyton, only walking at a much slower pace, trying to drag the walk from the car to her office for as long as possible, hoping in vain that by the time she had got to Peyton's office that she would have calmed down a little, or would at least be willing to talk to her.

Peyton was looking out of her window on the other side of her desk with her back to the door. She heard Haley walk into her office and sit down on one of the chairs but she didn't turn around to acknowledge her. She was absolutely fuming with Haley and didn't even know what to say to her right now, in fact she was afraid of what might come out of her mouth should she start to open her mouth and speak.

Haley sighed again. She just wanted to get this over and done with so she could go home and speak to Nathan. She didn't even know how the hell Peyton had even found out about her and Nathan. In fact, Peyton hadn't even told her that she knew about her and Nathan's relationship, Haley just knew that she did know. She knew how much she despised Nathan, how much she had talked her out of even considering a friendship, let alone a relationship with him. Haley knew that there was nothing else she had done that could allow Peyton to be that pissed off with her. So she had to know about it, there was no other explanation.

Haley had had enough of the silence, she couldn't take it anymore. "Look Peyton." Haley started. "Are you going to speak to me now? We've been in each other's company for over half an hour now and you haven't said a word to me."

"Well the last time you spoke to me you just spun a web of lies." Peyton bit at Haley as she turned around to face her.

Haley gulped as she saw the expression on Peyton's face, boy was she mad. "Peyton, I'm sorry about lying to you..."

"I am your manager Haley. I cannot manage you if you don't tell me the truth."

"I know and I'm sorry..." Haley interrupted, but it seemed that now Peyton had started speaking she wasn't going to shut up and Haley found herself wishing for the silent treatment she had been given previously.

"I mean, what the hell were you thinking? Sneaking off to Barbados with him?" She spit out.

"I... erm... we..." Haley really wanted to know how the hell she knew about that. How did Peyton know that she had been in Barbados? The only people that knew about the trip were her, Nathan and Jake, and she knew that neither of them would have told Peyton about it. Something had obviously gone wrong, very wrong, but what, Haley didn't know.

"And how could you be so stupid? I mean what has gotten into you?"

Haley felt like Peyton was firing questions at her with a machine gun. "Nothing..." Haley started but was interrupted again.

"And why has your phone been off, huh? I tried to call you a thousand times and it went straight to voicemail."

"I didn't..."

"Seriously Haley, you have some fucking explaining to do." Peyton shouted as she leant on her desk, towering over Haley.

Haley felt two feet tall but was growing incredibly angry with what Peyton was doing to her, not giving her a chance to answer back. "If you would just shut the fuck up for two seconds then maybe I could answer you." Haley shouted as she raised herself from the chair, wanting to bring herself up to Peyton's height, so she didn't feel like she had all the power.

"Fine then, start talking." Peyton said as she crossed her arms and sunk into her chair, raising an eyebrow at Haley.

Now that Peyton had given her the chance to talk, Haley didn't know where to begin. She sat back down in the chair, he throat feeling incredibly dry. She began to fiddle with her hair, twisting it around her fingers. "How did you find out about us?" She asked quietly.

Peyton sighed. She wanted answers from Haley, she didn't want anything else. She wanted to know how serious it was between them, she wanted to understand why Haley thought a relationship with Nathan could possibly work. "A reporter called me up and told me that the two of you had been pictured kissing in Barbados of all places. I thought she was lying but when she e-mailed through about ten pictures of you two together, I realised she wasn't. And you know the funny thing was, I've been in this position before with you and Nathan haven't I, with you lying to me about where you are, who you are with, and it's funny how it's always the reporters, reporters who print lies for a living, that end up telling me the truth, isn't it? So I guess I shouldn't really be surprised that you were lying to me, should I, I mean given your track record and all?" Peyton shouted and only stopped to take a breath at the end of her rampage.

"Peyton, I only lied to you because I knew you didn't approve of Nathan. But you know what; it's not up to you to approve of who I see. That is my decision. No one else's. You may manage me Peyton, but you sure as hell don't control me." Haley shouted back.

"You got that right Haley, I don't control you, but I need to control the stories that are written about you. That is my job. I cannot do my job properly when you lie to me."

"And I have apologised for that."

"Well it's a little late for that isn't it. The pictures were printed today, the damage is already done." Peyton sighed as she turned her head and looked at the floor, unable to look at Haley anymore. She was so furious with her, at how she had lied, at why she had to pick Nathan Scott of all people to have a relationship with. He was not right for her.

"What damage?" Haley shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. She really was sick of all this negativity.

"The damage those pictures have done to you and your career."

"Peyton, I don't understand how you can justify being so mad at me. I know I lied to you when I shouldn't have, and as I have said, I apologise profusely for that. But I honestly don't believe that you are mad because I lied to you, I think you are mad because I am choosing to have a relationship with Nathan."

"How can you be thinking about having a relationship with him? He is a womanizer, not boyfriend material." Peyton shouted at her.

"Oh and who is boyfriend material for me in your opinion? Chase Adams?" Haley screeched.

"Well at least he has a better reputation that Nathan Scott." Peyton spit out.

"You have no idea what Chase Adams is like." Haley shuddered. She wasn't about to tell Peyton what had happened between her and Chase, it wasn't worth it right now and she didn't really want to be reminded of it. That was in the past now, Nathan was her future.

"Well he would have made a better boyfriend for you that Nathan Scott ever would."

"Well Nathan is my boyfriend, and I don't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about that."

"He will only end up hurting you Haley."

"If he does, then I think I am big enough to handle it." Haley screamed.

"Are you sure you are?" Peyton said back to her.

Haley stared back at her. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm her ever increasing heart rate down. She really didn't want to discuss this anymore, she knew nothing would get resolved, not when Peyton was being so stubborn, but knew that she needed to. "I really like him Peyton." Haley said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear what she had said.

Peyton shook her head and got up from her chair, walking over to her window again. She couldn't believe this was happening. No matter how much Haley liked him, she knew that Nathan would just break her heart, like he had done to all the other girls before Haley. It was like it was all a game to him, and she didn't want Haley to be a part of it. She was only looking out for Haley. She knew that Haley was caught up in him, but she had to make her see, she had to make her realise that he was no good for her. She was trying to think of the words to say to her when she heard Haley stand up from her chair.

"Peyton, please try to understand..." Haley started but she was interrupted by the sound of Nathan's voice, which confused the hell out of her.

"Haley." Nathan greeted her as he rushed into the office, finding her standing up and leaning against Peyton's desk.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a perplexed tone as she turned around to find him standing in front of her, and pulled him close to her, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was desperately happy to see him, glad that Peyton was going to have to face the two of them together, instead of her feeling Peyton's wrath alone.

"Apparently Jake and Peyton set this meeting up." Nathan replied as he rested his head on top of hers, his arms wrapped securely around her waist, not wanting to let her go. He had heard the screeching from down the corridor and so had raced into the office, wanting to get to Haley as quickly as possible. It was clear from the shouting that things weren't going well.

Peyton turned around from the window when she heard Nathan's voice in her office and watched as he enveloped her in a cuddle. She frowned at the scene before her, when her attention moved to the brown haired man that had just walked into her office and was now standing behind Haley and Nathan. He must be Jake. And why the hell did he have to be so hot? That was all that Peyton needed, some hot man grabbing her attention. She needed to be on the ball here, it was three against one, and she knew that if she didn't focus her attention fully on Haley, she would never win this battle.

Jake walked into the room and stood behind Nathan and Haley. He had been very apprehensive about entering the Ice Queen's den but he couldn't take his eyes off her now that he was in her office. She looked cross. But it was a hell of a sexy look on her.

Nathan pulled away from Haley and turned to Peyton. "Hi, I'm Nathan..."

"I know who you are." Peyton interrupted him, her eyes glaring into him, her arms folded securely across her chest.

Haley was shocked at Peyton's rudeness. She could at least be civil to him. Haley glared back at her, when she heard Jake clearing his throat behind her. She hadn't even heard him come into the office. "Hi Jake!" Haley greeted him as she turned to face him.

"Hi Haley, it's good to see you again." Jake smiled at her.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, with Haley looking at the floor, Nathan fiddling with his hands, Peyton glaring at Nathan and Jake smiling at the situation he had found himself in, and also smiling at the hot ice queen standing in front of him. Who knows, if he warmed her up enough maybe her ice cold exterior would melt a little.

"So now that we are all here, let's talk." Peyton spoke with authority.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Jake said as he made his way further into the office.

"How serious is this then?" Peyton asked them bluntly.

Haley's head snapped up from the floor as she glared at Peyton. She didn't even know what to say to her. Quite how this was any of her business Haley didn't know. All she had to do was manage her; she wasn't Haley's personal dating aide.

Nathan sighed; Peyton sure wasn't going to make this easy. "It's serious enough." Nathan responded, looking right back at the glare that she had planted right on him, although being careful not to glare back at her, he didn't want to rile her up even more than she was already.

"Okay. So when did this all happen?" Peyton asked.

"A while ago. We didn't want anyone to know at first, because, well, I'm sure you know how the press react to this kind of thing." Nathan answered for both him and Haley once again.

Peyton scoffed. "Well you certainly have the experience in that arena."

"Peyton!" Haley screeched at her. "Stop being so rude."

"Guys, I think we need to calm down." Jake intervened. They weren't going to get anywhere if they started shouting at each other, and he could tell that was where this was headed. "Why don't we try to figure out a plan of action so we can sort this out properly?"

"That's fine with me." Haley replied, wanting to sort this out now rather than later, so she could just get out of this office. She felt like she was suffocating under Peyton's constant evil glares.

Nathan nodded along with what Haley was saying.

Jake turned to Peyton who also nodded, pleased that she seemed to be cooperating along with everyone else.

"So has anybody got any bright ideas?" Jake asked, now that he had started to gain some control over this conversation.

All of them were silent, neither of them wanting to speak up.

Peyton sighed. "I really feel that it would be best if we tell the press that nothing is going on between you two, and say that what happened in Barbados was merely a fling."

Haley could feel the anger burning inside of her. "This is not a fling Peyton. No matter how much you want it to be, it isn't." Haley said through gritted teeth.

"Haley, I've already told you, you can't be serious about having a full on relationship with him." Peyton shouted as she pointed at Nathan.

Nathan sighed. It was more than clear to him how much Peyton disliked him. She was actually beginning to make him feel uncomfortable, which was a first for Nathan, usually his temper was wild enough to control any argument, but he was holding back the rage that was building inside of him, he knew if he let it all get to him that things would only be made a thousand times worse for Haley, and he didn't want that, he just wanted to make things right.

"Well I am in a full on relationship with Nathan, so you and everyone else are just going to have to get used to it." Haley shouted back.

"I still think it would be best to tell the press that it was a fling. It's going to do your career no good."

"I am not going to lie about this anymore Peyton." Haley shouted back. She felt Nathan capture her hand with his and felt the reassuring squeeze he gave it and she looked up at him and smiled, pleased to have him by her side.

"Okay, well if you two are sure you want to confirm this then we can sort that out tomorrow, right Peyton?" Jake told Nathan and Haley as he turned to Peyton, flashing her what he hoped was a smile that would calm her down a bit, waiting for her confirmation, wanting to step in before it all got out of hand again.

Peyton said nothing. She just shook her head at the situation she found herself in. She wasn't going to approve of this relationship; she couldn't, not when it was so wrong.

Jake realised that Peyton wasn't going to speak and cleared his throat. "Well Nathan has a press conference tomorrow and I know that the reporters are going to ask about the pictures so we can confirm it there, if that is what you both want."

Nathan looked down at Haley and saw her smile at him.

"It's what I want Nathan." Haley said, as she remembered how carefree they had been able to be in Barbados, and she wanted that same feeling to extend while they were at home too.

"Me too." Nathan said as she placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Okay then, that's sorted." Jake said, pleased with himself that he had managed to sort this out for Haley and Nathan, given that it seemed that Peyton wasn't going to.

"Thank you Jake." Haley said as she turned to him.

"You're welcome."

Haley turned to face Peyton and could see the disapproved look on her face. "Peyton, please, I'm happy, I wish you could be too, for me."

Peyton closed her eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you about this Haley, this won't work out."

"Well if I am willing to give this a chance then you should respect my decision." Haley could feel her voice rising as she spoke.

"I can't respect a decision that is so wrong." Peyton tried to reason with her.

"Well it's my decision to make Peyton, and you can have an opinion, but if you don't mind, I would prefer if you could keep that to yourself and at least pretend that you are happy for me."

"I won't do that Haley." Peyton said, she wanted to shake some sense into her, have her realise how wrong this whole situation was.

"Well you can just fuck off then." Haley shouted. She'd had enough. As far as she was aware, Peyton was being completely unreasonable. Haley shot one last glare at Peyton before storming out of her office. She couldn't even bear to be around her anymore. She ran down the stairs and walked out onto the street, pacing up and down, trying to walk off her frustrations.

"Haley." Nathan said in a comforting tone as he walked through the door, finding Haley walking up and down outside the building. He fists were clenched at the sides, her face puffy and red with rage.

"I fucking hate her!" Haley shouted as she pointed to the building, letting Nathan know that she was talking about Peyton, although she was sure she didn't need to do the whole pointing thing, Nathan would know who she was talking about anyway.

"I know baby." Nathan said as he pulled her into a hug and ran his hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her.

"Why can't she just be happy for us?" Haley asked as she pulled away from him, looking into his eyes, wanting him to have an answer, wanting him to tell her how they could win Peyton over and get her on their side. She was supposed to be her best friend, and best friends were happy for each other, no matter what the other thought of them, happiness should be all that matters.

"I really don't know Hales, but it doesn't matter what she thinks, try not to let it get to you so much."

"I know I shouldn't, but it's just hard, she's supposed to be one of my best friends. If this was the other way around and she was seeing someone I didn't like, if she was sure about the guy then I would at least be happy that she was happy."

"I know you would be."

Haley shook her head and bit down on her lip. She really was shocked at Peyton's reaction to this. She knew that she didn't approve of Nathan but that didn't mean that she had to be so rude about this. As long as Haley was sure about the relationship it really didn't have anything to do with her. If this relationship was really going to affect her career like Peyton thought it would, well that was Haley's risk to take, and it was a risk that she was more than willing to take, for the way Nathan made her feel was more important to her than anything else in her life.

"So what do you want to do now?" Nathan asked as he ran his hand down her face, wanting to take her away from here, away from all of this.

"I just want to go home and sleep to be honest." Haley said with a smile. She was absolutely exhausted, from the flight and the argument she had just had with Peyton. She just wanted to close her eyes and forget about it.

"Okay, let me take you home then." Nathan said as he directed Haley to one of the cars that was waiting for them outside the office.

~*~

Haley awoke the next morning when she heard her phone ringing. She groaned as she rolled over, not ready to face the day just yet. She had hardly slept at all as she was rerunning the argument she'd had with Peyton over and over in her head, thinking about all the things that she should have said, about how she should have just walked away from her at the start, for she knew that she would never be reasonable about it, she knew exactly how Peyton felt about Nathan, so why she had asked her to be happy for her, she didn't know. Maybe there was a part of her that actually believed that Peyton would be happy for her, but it was obvious that she was wrong about that. She reached out to pick up her phone and saw that it was Nathan calling. "Hey." Haley said sleepily.

"Hi baby, were you sleeping?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah." Haley said with a yawn.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hales."

"No, don't be, I needed to get up anyway."

"So how did you sleep?"

"Horribly, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened yesterday."

"Hales, you're going to have to just forget about it. I'm sure Peyton will come around to the idea of us over time."

"Hmmm." Haley said sceptically. "You obviously don't know Peyton; she can hold a grudge for a lifetime."

"Well who cares if she can right?"

"I know you're right." Haley sighed as she started to fiddle with her duvet.

"So, the reason I was calling was I just wanted to double check now that you'd had a chance to sleep on the idea of us confirming our relationship, that you still wanted to go ahead with the plan?"

Haley smiled at him down the phone. He really was so considerate of her feelings and she was grateful to him for it. "I'm sure. Are you?"

"Absolutely."

"Good."

"Okay, well I need to get going, I've got a hell of a load of stuff to do before the press conference."

"What time is the press conference?" Haley asked.

"Six."

"Do you want me to come down there?" Haley asked.

"Nah, it's mainly about basketball. I could come around after though?"

"I'd like that." Haley said with a grin. She couldn't wait to see Nathan again, sure that he would be more than able to take her mind off the whole Peyton drama.

"Okay, I'll see you later baby."

"See you later and good luck at the conference." Haley said as she snapped shut her phone and rolled onto her back, unable to keep the smile off her face.

~*~

Nathan sat at the press conference, his palms sweating. He felt like he was holding a ticking time bomb, waiting for the questions about him and Haley to start. So far the reporters had stuck to questions about basketball and his sponsorships and endorsements. But he knew they were coming.

One of the reporters sitting halfway back in the room raised their hand. Nathan nodded at her and held his breath, waiting to hear her question.

"So Mr Scott, I think we all saw the pictures of you and Haley James in the paper, care to comment on that?"

Nathan closed his eyes. And there it was. He took a deep breath before answering. "I can confirm that I am seeing Haley James." He said, unable to hold back the smile that formed on his face at the words that came out of his mouth.

He was soon blinded by the cameras that started flashing insanely in his face, and the reporters had gone crazy, it seemed that each of them wanted to ask questions about his private life now. He shook his head at the scene in front of him and turned to look at Jake who was standing in the corner of the room and nodded at him, signalling that he didn't want to answer any more of their questions. Now that he had confirmed his relationship, all he wanted to do was go back to Haley's house and see her. It was official, the whole world now knew about them. And it felt good.

He watched as Jake walked up onto the stage and stood in front of one of the microphones. "Thank you so much for your questions this evening, ladies and gentlemen, but that marks the end of the press conference."

Nathan wandered off the stage and walked out of the room, Jake following behind him, reporters still screaming and firing questions at him. He couldn't even hear himself think above all the noise but that didn't matter. Now that the conference was over, he could go and see Haley and relax.

"So how does it feel?" Jake asked when they were walking down the corridor towards the back entrance.

"Extremely liberating!" Nathan responded, the smile had still not left his face.

"Good." Jake responded, patting Nathan on the back as he walked out the back door and got into his waiting car.

~*~

Haley sat in her living room with a glass of wine. She was so nervous and couldn't keep her eyes off the clock all day, finding herself performing a mental countdown to when Nathan was attending this press conference. And then the clock had turned to six o'clock and her nerves had gone into overdrive. She couldn't sit still, and before she knew it, it was six thirty and she had managed to drink a half bottle of wine. She walked into the kitchen and placed the bottle in the fridge, not wanting to be completely drunk when Nathan finally arrived. She leaned against the counter and waited anxiously for Nathan to come round. She had no idea how long this conference was due to go on for but it seemed that time was ticking by at a torturous pace.

She heard his car pulling up in her driveway and ran to the door, placing her wine glass on the side table in her hallway, opening the door before he'd even had a chance to close the door to his car. "Well?" She shouted across her driveway as she saw him walk towards her. When he had reached her, she spoke again. "How did it go?" She asked nervously.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her and pushed her inside her house, closing the door behind him with his foot once they were both inside. "It went fine Hales."

"What did they say?" She asked, she wanted to know what their reaction was to the news that they were together.

"They didn't really say anything; there was just a lot of flashing cameras and a lot of shouting of questions."

"What did you tell them?"

"I just confirmed that I was seeing you and that was it. I didn't want to say anymore."

Haley smiled at him, relieved that it had seemed to go well. She couldn't believe that everyone knew about their relationship now, and after all the sneaking around they had been doing, they could now go out in public together, go out for dinners, go shopping, just do normal things that normal couples did. It felt so good to not have to worry about someone finding out about them now. Haley's hands wound their way around his neck as she smiled seductively at him, pulling his head down towards hers so she could capture his lips in a tingling kiss. She felt his lips part her tongue and gasped when she felt his tongue connect with hers. No matter how many times he kissed her, she was sure that he would always manage to make her feel like it was their first time, there was something about the way that he kissed, it was far too good, far too tempting and definitely left Haley wanted more every time he did it.

Nathan pulled away from her breathlessly. He could taste the alcohol on her lips and grinned at her. "Been drinking?" He asked.

"I was so nervous about the whole thing I managed to drink half a bottle of wine in about ten minutes!" Haley admitted. "You want some?" She asked.

"I could do with some wine, if you haven't drunk it all that is?!" He teased as he gripped her hand in his, leading her into her kitchen, picking up her wine glass on the way.

He watched as she grabbed another glass from the cupboard and made her way to the fridge. She was so sexy, even the way she walked turned him on. He couldn't get thoughts of their last night in Barbados from his head, the feel of his hard cock deep inside of her. He walked up behind her and snaked his hands around her, resting them on her thighs as she searched the fridge for a new bottle of wine, dipping his head to her ear, his hands wandering lazily around her leg. "You are so sexy Haley James, you know that?" He growled in her ear before biting down on her earlobe.

Haley leant back into him, sighing as she felt his teeth graze her earlobe. "Well I have been told that before..." She said sexily, reaching her arm around to latch onto the back of his neck as she felt his mouth move lower on her neck, placing hot, wet kisses just below her ear, causing a moan to escape from her lips.

"Really?" Nathan mumbled against her skin. "And who told you that?" He asked in between kisses as he moved his mouth towards her pulse point, running his tongue around it and then sucking down hard on her skin.

Haley moaned again, he really was a master with his mouth. "Just some guy I met a while back. He's pretty hot you know?"

Nathan smirked against her neck. "Interesting. So this guy, is he hotter than me?" He asked as his mouth moved up her neck towards her jaw.

Haley felt his mouth move towards hers and she couldn't wait to feel it on hers again. She turned herself around so she was now facing him. "No one is hotter than you." She said as she took his mouth in a hungry kiss.

She grazed her tongue over his bottom lip, begging him for entry into his mouth which he readily granted. When she felt his mouth open, she glided her tongue into his mouth and tangled it with hers. Their kiss soon increased in intensity, Haley could feel Nathan's hands grazing her back, and then his hands moved towards her stomach, where he began stroking the skin that was exposed from her tank top.

They pulled away from their kiss breathlessly, both desperately needing some air as they leant their foreheads together, both breathing heavily from the kiss they had just shared. Haley smiled at him as she turned and reached into the fridge and pulled out the wine, before walking over to where their glasses were placed on the countertop and poured them both a large glass of wine, then led the way into the lounge.

Nathan sat himself down on the couch next to Haley, wrapping his arm around her shoulder so that she was leaning into him. Haley brought her legs up onto the couch and Nathan couldn't take his eyes off her incredibly hot legs that were stretched out before him. "Your legs are so sexy." He mumbled into her ear.

Haley smiled and turned to face him, looking deeply into his amazing blue eyes. "I can't believe we can finally act like a normal couple!" Haley gushed. Even though she had only been with Nathan for a while, she still felt like she had spent a lifetime sneaking around with him, and that wasn't what she wanted to do with him, she wanted to show the world how happy he made her, and she wanted more than ever for Peyton to change her mind about them.

"I know." Nathan said as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and then took a sip of his wine.

Haley turned back and rested her head on his chest. She could fall asleep like this, she felt so comfortable around him. She took a gulp of her wine and placed the glass on the coffee table in front of her.

"So what do you think about us going out for dinner tomorrow night?" Nathan asked her, wanting nothing more than to show off his incredibly beautiful girlfriend to the world.

"I say that sounds like a plan." Haley smiled as she closed her eyes again, relaxing into the feel of Nathan's hand brushing her hair behind her ears. She thought back to the events of the previous couple of days, how she had gone from being blissfully happy in Barbados to being so angry at someone who was supposedly meant to be her best friend. She had known not to expect Peyton to react well to the news and the way she had found out hadn't exactly helped the situation. But nonetheless, Haley wanted nothing more than for her to be happy for them both, which seemed to be something she wasn't willing to be. However, all thoughts of Peyton were pushed from her mind as she felt Nathan lean down and kiss her forehead again, his hand moving down to her stomach that was exposed from her top as he lazily drew invisible circles on her skin. She shuffled down his body and got more comfortable as she felt sleep consume her. She was wrapped up safely in Nathan's arms, and wanted to be nowhere else, ever.

~*~

Peyton slumped down in her chair. She had officially had the day from hell. She knew the press conference had happened today and after the conference had finished, the phone in her office hadn't stopped ringing. She had ignored every call, not wanting to admit that Haley and Nathan were together, instead preferring to stay in her own world of denial. She laid her head on her desk, closing her eyes, trying to block out the ringing of the phone.

She had to get Nathan out of the picture, she knew that. She couldn't have him ruining Haley, she wouldn't let him. She sighed loudly, her mind racing with what she could do to stop their relationship from going any further than it already had. Suddenly she had an idea and picked up her phone once the latest incoming call had faded away, as she searched her address book for the number she needed and once she dialled it, she prayed her call would be answered.

"Hello." Came the voice down the line.

Peyton smiled, wanting to jump up and down that the call had been answered. "Hi Chase..."

**AN – So what did you guys think? Hate Peyton even more than you did before?! x**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN – Ok guys... Firstly thanks so much for the reviews of the last chapter. I can't believe this story is at chapter fifteen already now! I couldn't help but laugh at the anti-Peyton comments you guys left... I did say there was more drama coming up in this story... and I think some of you guessed that Peyton would have something to do with it. A lot of you have been wondering why Peyton hates the idea of Haley and Nathan being together so much, and I promise more will be revealed soon. As I have said before I have mapped out this story and where it is going... and we are no way near done with what is still going to happen, so I hope you all stick around for the ride!**

**Your reviews really do inspire me to write and update as quickly as I can and having not written creatively for about 6 years or so before giving this a shot, I cannot tell you how much confidence you guys have given me. So a big thank you goes out to each and every one of you! **

**And having said that, I have started a new story! It's called Think About Me... I have already posted the first chapter, its M rated, so please go and check it out, you can find the link to it on my profile page – it's another AU NH story which I hope you will all like!**

**So enough rambling, here is the next chapter... x**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Nathan sat up on the sofa, staring in pure wonderment at his stunningly beautiful girlfriend. The sun had long risen and its golden rays were pouring through the French windows of her lounge, framing her face so perfectly. He had been up for about two hours now and was more than content to lay with her wrapped up in his arms forever, just listening to the gentle rhythm of her breathing, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. He manoeuvred his arm and ran his fingers through her golden hair that lay loose, flowing gently over her shoulders. He felt her stir beneath him and watched as her beautiful brown eyes fluttered open.

"Morning." Haley said sleepily as she blinked a few times and sent a smile his way, getting her eyes used to the light. There was no better feeling than waking up and finding the man of your dreams lying beside you, with his arms wrapped protectively around you, and for that she felt like the luckiest girl on the planet.

"Good morning gorgeous." Nathan greeted her as her bent down and placed a light kiss on her lips, before pulling away so he could stare at her some more. He loved how she looked first thing in the morning, she had that incredibly sexy morning hair which looked so good on her, and that smile that she had just given him made him weak in the knees, she was too damn hot for her own good.

Haley closed her eyes again and snuggled into his chest, her hand gripping around his muscular back holding her in place, pulling him closer to her. She could hear the rhythmic beating of his heart, which was sending her into another peaceful sleep, she was sure she could sleep for a thousand years wrapped up in her own little cocoon like this.

Nathan laughed as Haley closed her eyes again. He lent down towards her ear and whispered. "Come on sleepy head, it's time to get up."

Haley raised her shoulders and breathed deeply, she loved the feel of his warm breath tickling her neck. "Five more minutes." She muttered, refusing to open her eyes. He was too perfect for her to be ready to leave him just yet, and she was far too comfortable to move.

"Hales, it's ten in the morning already and I have a photo shoot in half an hour." Nathan said as he tried to push Haley off him lightly, laughing at her rag doll like state.

Haley could feel him picking her up and she decided that she wasn't going to win this one, and so sat up, allowing Nathan to get up from the sofa, the sun light completely blinding her as she opened her eyes. "You're mean, you know that." Haley said as she squinted.

Nathan chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead as he got up to go and get ready. "You decided on a restaurant yet for tonight?" He asked her as he walked into the kitchen, desperately needing a cup of coffee, remembering that they had decided to go out tonight given that the world now knew that they were officially together.

"No not really, is there anywhere you fancy?" Haley shouted to his retreating form. She sat with her legs crossed on the sofa, pondering where she would like to go with him. To be honest, as long as she was with him she didn't care where they ate, McDonalds would do for her.

"I don't really mind. As long as it's somewhere that will be filled with photographers so I get a chance to show you off, I don't really care." Nathan said in a loud voice so Haley could hear him.

Haley had got up from the sofa and followed Nathan into the kitchen, searching for coffee herself. She sighed as she leant in the doorway, watching his back muscles tighten with every move he made as he turned the coffee machine on and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard, one for her and one for him. He was so sexy, he had the most perfect body, and he was all hers. She couldn't help herself as she walked towards him and wrapped her hands around his stomach, placing feather light kisses all over his back, she had to touch him, his back was calling to her and she couldn't fight the urge she had to kiss him.

"Hales..." Nathan tried to stop her, he really had to get going but the feel of her mouth on his back was sending waves of electricity right through him every time her mouth connected with his skin.

"Mmmm?" Haley asked as she continued kissing her way up and down his sexy back, her fingers were now grazing slowly over his taught, tight abs, she couldn't get enough of him. She moved her fingers down towards his jeans that he still had on from last night and started to play with the buttons, unbuttoning each of them in succession. When she had undone all of them, she slipped one of her hands down inside of his jeans and felt his growing arousal through his tight boxers.

Nathan didn't know what the hell she was playing at, he had to leave, otherwise he was going to be incredibly late, but every time he opened his mouth to protest, she would start to unbutton his jeans, or start touching his cock, which caused nothing but a weak and pathetic moan to come out of his mouth. She was touching him through his boxers, her hand was playfully running up and down his long cock and he couldn't fight the pathetic battle he had going on in his head, leaving or kissing Haley, it was a no brainer really. He turned around quickly and wrapped his hands around her waist, capturing her mouth in a furious kiss. His tongue parted her lips quickly, not being able to wait for her to do it for him.

Haley felt the force of his kiss and it took her by surprise, not that she was complaining, for any excuse to kiss him was fine with her. She felt his hands run from her shoulders all the way down to her fingers, and then latched onto her waist. The kiss was hot and frantic, her hands had found their way into his hair and she was tangling her fingers up in it, pushing his face closer to hers. She yelped in surprise when she felt him lift her off the ground, and the next thing she knew, he had spun them around and placed her on the counter which was behind him, his mouth and tongue never leaving hers. Haley instantly widened her legs so Nathan could step between them and then wrapped her legs securely around his waist.

Nathan felt Haley's hands move in between their bodies and she started tugging his jeans down his legs. He pulled away from her, resting his forehead against hers, his breathing incredibly laboured. "Hales, I really need to go." He mumbled incoherently.

Haley leaned forward and left a trail of hot wet kisses along his neck, stopping on his pulse point and started running her tongue around it in circles, before nipping lightly at his skin. "I know you do baby." Haley muttered against his skin, but didn't stop, instead continuing her ministrations.

Nathan could feel the need to be inside of her growing, and he was finding it harder and harder to find the words or the strength to pull away from her. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, he was sure of it. He moved his neck to the side, giving her better access to it, his hands moving up towards her hair. As his hands rose above her shoulders, he opened his eyes and glanced quickly at his watch, seeing that he only had fifteen minutes to get to the photo shoot. He tried to pull away from Haley, moaning as he did so but her legs were wrapped so tightly around him, he couldn't move an inch. He forced her lips from his neck and kissed her lightly on the lips, his hands coming around to cup her beautiful face. He pulled her face away and looked deeply into her eyes. "You are killing me Hales." He said with a smirk on his face. "But I really have to go."

Haley pouted at him, she didn't want him to leave, not now, she wanted to feel him inside of her. "Do you have to go?" She whined.

"You know I do." Nathan smiled at her. "But believe you me; we are going to pick up exactly where we left off once we get back from dinner tonight okay?"

Haley smiled sexily at him as she released her grip from around his waist and kissed him lightly on the lips. If he didn't leave now, she was going to grab his boxers, pull them off him and slam him inside of her. "Go on, go." She sighed.

Nathan kissed her on the forehead and walked out of the kitchen, picking up his shirt from the lounge and walked out of the front door. That girl was going to get him in all sorts of trouble, he thought to himself with a smirk, but he wouldn't change her for the world.

~*~

Haley had since had a shower and got ready for the day. She had called Brooke and asked if she wanted to hit the shops with her, Haley needed a new outfit for tonight; she wanted to make sure she looked perfect, especially if all the press were going to be outside the restaurant they were going to, this was her and Nathan's first pictures that would be taken of them together, well ones that they knew about anyway. She had got in the car and was just pulling up outside her favourite shop on Fifth Avenue, when her phone rang. She decided to stay in the car and answer it, for she could already see the swarm of photographers waiting outside the shops.

"Hello." She said as she picked up her phone.

"Hey baby." Nathan replied.

Haley grinned, his voice was the sexiest in the world and she loved it when he called her baby. "Were you late?" Haley asked cheekily.

"So late, no thanks to you!" Nathan responded in a teasing manner.

"Well what can I say; I'm obviously that irresistible..." Haley continued with their banter.

"You've got that right." Nathan sighed playfully. "The reason I was calling though, besides because I wanted to hear your gorgeous voice, was that we didn't decide where we were going for dinner, and I thought it would be best if I got Jake to book us a table."

"Sure, I really don't mind where we eat though." Haley responded

"How about some sushi?" Nathan threw in.

"Sushi sounds good." Haley said.

"Okay, I know just the place. I'll pick you up at around sevenish okay?"

"Okay Nathan."

"I miss you." Nathan said quietly.

Haley couldn't help the smile that spread across her face; he was far too cute for his own good. "I miss you too."

"Okay, well. I'll see you later baby."

"See you." Haley said as she hung up her phone, smiling to herself for about a minute before she realised that she was still sitting in the back of the car, and that the press were waiting for her to make her grand entrance into the shop, so they could get a snap of what she was wearing today, and no doubt rip her outfit to shreds in next week's magazine. She sighed as she put her phone in her Gucci bag and placed her sunglasses on, knowing she was about to be blinded by those damn cameras.

After wrestling her way through the photographers, Haley walked into the shop, to find Brooke already waiting for her, with a few outfits in her hands already. Haley watched as she looked up when she heard the door shut, her mouth dropped open and she threw the clothes she had in her arms onto the couch which was beside her, before running up to Haley.

"You had sex!" She said extremely loudly.

Haley opened her mouth in shock, looking around to see if anyone heard, but who was she kidding, given the volume of Brooke's voice she wouldn't have been surprised if the whole of New York had heard her. "Brooke!" Haley admonished. "Would you mind keeping your voice down?" Haley said in a loud whisper, she was sure she was blushing the most ridiculous shade of red right about now; she could feel her cheeks burning.

"Sorry." Brooke shrugged, obviously thinking that she had done nothing wrong. "But I'm right aren't I?" Brooke wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Haley sighed, there was no point in trying to keep this from Brooke, she would only push for more information if Haley said nothing. "Yes you are right." Haley said in a whisper.

"I knew it!" Brooke shouted out again, a huge grin spread right across her face.

"Brooke!" Haley shouted at her, astonished at how untactful she could be.

"It was the bikinis I picked out that did it, wasn't it?" She said proudly as she shoved an elbow into Haley's side.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Of course it was Brooke." It was better to play along with Brooke's antics rather than fight them.

"So how was it?"

"Brooke, I am not discussing my sex life with you while we are in the middle of a store, anyone could hear!"

"So, you had good sex, who wouldn't want to hear about it?" Brooke shrugged as she followed Haley around the shop like a lost puppy.

"Brooke." Haley warned as she turned around and pointed her finger at her.

"It was good wasn't it?" Brooke asked as she looked at Haley's face for answers, worried for a second that the sex may have been bad.

Haley didn't say anything; instead she pushed past Brooke and started looking through the rails of clothing, trying her best to ignore her.

"Haley, was it bad sex?" Brooke asked in a disappointed but serious tone.

"No Brooke it was not bad sex for crying out loud, it was the best sex I've ever had in my life. Does that satisfy your curiosity?" Haley snapped.

"Kind off, but now that I know it was the best sex of your life I need to know more!" Brooke said as she opened her mouth to press for more information, only to be interrupted by Haley.

"Brooke I am warning you, if you ask me one more question about my sex life I am going to throw you out of that window." Haley said seriously as she pointed at the window that was behind Brooke.

Brooke looked back at the window and pondered whether hearing about some hot sex was worth being thrown out of a window for. She decided it wasn't. "Fine, but I will hear about it, you won't be able to not talk about it when we are in private."

Haley made a mental note to herself to not spend time alone with Brooke for a good few weeks. She shook her head at her crazy friend and continued shopping, wanting to concentrate on finding the perfect outfit for tonight, praying that that would distract Brooke, well who was she kidding, it was shopping, so of course it would work.

~*~

Five hours later, and after having tried on about fifty thousand dresses, Haley found herself back in her car. She had booked herself a hair and waxing appointment to go to after the shopping and had just finished getting her hair done when she heard her phone ringing in her bag. She pulled it out and saw that it was Peyton calling her. She groaned as she answered it, not sure what mood she was going to be in, especially now that she and Nathan had gone public.

"Hi Peyton." Haley said in the cheeriest voice she could muster, she really didn't want another argument with Peyton.

"Haley, I'm just calling to let you know that a clothing line are interested in you doing some advertising for them. It looks like a really good opportunity and they are offering a pretty decent amount of money. When you next come by the office we can discuss it in more detail."

Haley couldn't help but notice the cold tone of her voice and it shocked her somewhat. "Oh, okay, that sounds great. Thanks Peyton."

"Okay, that's all I was calling for. I'll see you soon. Bye."

And with that, Peyton had hung up on her. Haley held the phone away from her ear and looked at it strangely. So now Peyton wasn't even talking to her as a friend? Haley shook her head. She had thought that once her and Nathan's relationship was out in the open, things would become easier for her but apparently not. She put her phone back in her bag and decided to not let this get to her.

Five minutes later, the car pulled up outside her house. She grabbed all her bags and walked to her front door, stopping to check her mail box, seeing that her weekly delivery of magazines had arrived. She didn't know why she still read them, but she liked to keep up with what was going on, spot the latest trends and hear the latest gossip. She walked into her house and placed the magazines on her kitchen table, wanting to go and put her dress away before she started her guilty pleasure and read them all cover to cover.

~*~

Nathan was just finishing up at his photo shoot. It had taken the best part of the day, and he hadn't helped matters by being late. He was just changing back into his own shirt when he heard the photographer call out to him. Nathan walked out from behind the screen and found the photographer standing in front of him.

"So you and Haley James huh?" The photographer asked as he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah." Nathan said back, unable to keep the smile of his face at the mention of her name.

"She's absolutely stunning; I'm hopefully going to be the photographer for a new campaign I'm working on that Haley possibly may be advertising for."

"Oh good." Nathan said back, not quite sure why he was telling him this, or why he had expected him to be overly interested. Haley did a lot of photo shoots.

"It would be fabulous if we could get you involved in the campaign too, the photos would look absolutely wonderful if the two of you were in them."

_Ah! _Nathan thought to himself, so that's what he wanted. "Well, I don't know what to say." Nathan said back to him.

"Well let me talk to the client and I'll see if we can come up with something. She's a wonderful woman; make sure you hold onto her."

"Thanks, I will." Nathan replied as he pulled his shirt back on and grabbed his keys. It was nearly five and he needed to go home and get ready for tonight, and tonight was definitely something he didn't want to be late for.

~*~

Haley had got distracted once she had walked upstairs and had ended up having a bath. She wandered downstairs in her white silk dressing gown, not bothering to put anything on underneath it for she was going to have to start getting ready in a couple of minutes anyway. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, when she spied the magazines sitting on the table. She couldn't help herself and started to read the first one which was on the top of the pile.

She was just flicking through the pages, when she came across the picture of her and Nathan in Barbados. She couldn't help smiling at the picture, her mind cast back to the exact point in time when that was taken. She hadn't been happier. She turned her attention to the rest of the page and saw that there was a picture of both her and Nathan walking separately out of the airport as well as a picture of Nathan at the press conference.

She started to read the article, expecting them to gush on and on about how perfect they were for each other, only to realise that this article was nothing of the sort. Her eyes grew wide at what she was reading, her mouth was hanging open. She reached the bottom of the article and turned the page, only to find it littered with pictures of Nathan and his various 'girlfriends', if you could call them that, hoes was more likely. She started to read the words at the top of this page.

"No girl, not even America's pop princess Haley James could expect to change the ways of this self confessed womanizer. Nathan Scott, Knicks superstar, is well known on the court for his amazing talent, but it seems that talent of speed and being able to change direction quickly extends off the court too, just take a look at his previous dating history..."

Haley continued to read on, not really quite sure why she was continuing, the words she was reading were making her feel sick. She could feel the knot forming in her stomach, which was only growing bigger with each word she read. The article finished with the following line.

"We give Haley and Nathan two weeks before he gets bored and moves onto someone else."

Haley pushed the magazine away from her in disgust. How people could write things like that, she didn't understand. It was so hurtful to her. She knew she shouldn't be bothered by what they had said but she couldn't help it. She decided to open another magazine and see if their words were any kinder, only to find that the next article she read was even worse. Apparently a betting website was taking bets on how long their relationship would last. Haley couldn't help the tears that started to well in her eyes. She knew that magazines printed a lot of crap but even she had heard about his reputation and not just from the gossip column, so she knew part of it was true. She opened up the previous magazine and looked at the pictures of his previous girlfriends. Most of them were models with legs that stretched up to their armpits, they had humungous breasts which made Haley's look non-existent in comparison and they were all just stunningly beautiful, much prettier than Haley could ever hope to be. She couldn't help but wonder what the hell it was about her that Nathan was attracted too, all his previous girlfriends seemed to have one thing in common, their beauty, so what was it about her that he liked? Did he even like her at all? Was he using her like Peyton had said he was?

She heard the door bell ring and tried to wipe away the tears that had now fallen down her face away but more kept falling. She opened the door to find Nathan standing there with a huge bunch of lilies, her favourite flower.

Nathan took one look at Haley and could tell that she was crying. "Baby what's wrong?" He asked as he watched her turn her back on him and walk into the kitchen. He followed her immediately, closing the front door behind him.

Seeing him standing there had caused a whole new wave of tears to start falling. She crossed her arms and stood facing the counter, she didn't want him to see her like this and she didn't want to be talking to him either. She knew that if she did, they would only argue. She wanted some time to think, to digest what had been written about them both.

"Hales..." Nathan said gently, as he placed the flowers in the sink and walked up behind her, placing his arms around her waist, only she wiggled away from him before he could secure her in.

Haley turned away from him when she felt his hands try to wrap themselves around her. "No Nathan, don't touch me." She chocked out with the tears that were still falling down her face.

"Haley, you have to tell me what's wrong, what happened? Was it Peyton?" Nathan asked worriedly, wanting to get to the bottom of this right now. All he wanted to do was have a nice evening out with his girlfriend, and now here she was crying her eyes out over something. And if it was Peyton, he was going to march over to her office and kick her ass.

Haley sighed, trying to calm the tears that were falling. She turned to face him, wiping away harshly at the tears that were on her face. "Why do you like me?" She asked.

Nathan was completely thrown by her question and couldn't help but laugh at her. "What, you're asking me why I like you?"

Haley glared at him; she couldn't believe that he was laughing at her. "Yes. It's not a hard question." Haley barked back at him.

"Hales, what is really going on? And why are you not dressed yet? We have a dinner reservation in forty-five minutes..."

Haley interrupted him; there was no way she was going out to dinner with all this going on. "You haven't answered my question." She said simply as she folded her arms across her chest and stood up straight, letting him know that she wasn't going anywhere until he answered her.

Nathan sighed. He had no idea what she was freaking out about but they needed to get to the restaurant. "I like you because you are you."

Haley stared back at him and walked up to the table, picking up one of the many magazines which were lying open on the pages where they were the story.

Nathan leaned over and looked at what was on the table and saw the magazines sprawled out in front of him. He wondered why she was picking one up, wondering how this could have got her that upset when she started reading to him.

"Nathan Scott, known from his womanizing ways confirmed yesterday that he was dating singer and general good girl Haley James. But the two questions on everyone's lips are, firstly for how long and secondly, why has he defied his usual trends of supermodels and settled with America's Pop Princess." Haley read from the magazine, the tears now falling freely down her face.

"Haley... what is that?" Nathan interrupted her, wondering why she was reading this shit.

"It is no secret that Nathan is a fan of blondes, but his blondes are usually of the supermodel or lingerie model variety, as can be seen from the pictures taken of him while on dates with these stunningly beautiful girls." Haley said bitterly.

Nathan had heard enough. He ripped the magazine out of Haley's grasp and threw it back on the table. "Haley why are you reading that shit?" Nathan asked, annoyed at how she was being pulled into this crap.

"Well isn't that what everyone is going to think when they see us together? I am not a model Nathan, far from it, so what are you doing with me?"

"Haley, first of all, I don't care what anyone thinks about us being together. And second of all, I am with you because you are amazing, in every way possible." Nathan stepped closer to her, tentatively, unsure of whether she wanted him this close to her.

Haley took a shaky breath and closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them, she saw Nathan had moved right beside her.

"Haley, people are always going to have an opinion about us, good or bad, I mean look at Peyton and Jake. But all that matters is that I like you, very much, and that you like me." He reached out and ran a hand down her cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "You can't let this rubbish get to you."

Haley sighed and closed her eyes again. She knew he was right. She knew that he liked her and that was all that mattered. It didn't matter what some stupid magazines were saying about them, all that mattered was that they cared for each other. "I know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let it get to me, it was a shock, that's all. I expected everyone to be nice about us."

Nathan smiled at her. "Come on Hales, you've been in this business for a while now, you know nice doesn't sell."

Haley smiled back at him and watched as he lent in and placed the softest of kisses on her lips.

"So get your sexy ass up those stairs and get ready because tonight is the very first night that I get to show off my stunning girlfriend to the world."

Haley smiled again and kissed Nathan on the cheek before she made her way upstairs to get ready for their dinner.

Nathan watched as Haley walked out of the room and leant against the counter, letting out a huge sigh. He looked at the magazines that were still on the table and picked them up, placing them all in the rubbish, for that was what they were, absolute rubbish.

~*~

Half an hour later, Haley and Nathan were sitting in the car on their way to the sushi restaurant Nathan had chosen for them. Nathan had his arm wrapped around Haley and his hand was resting on her shoulder. She was leaning against his chest and was fiddling with his fingers. "You look beautiful tonight Hales."

"Thank you, you look gorgeous too." Haley replied as she turned her face towards his and kissed him on the lips.

The car pulled up outside the restaurant and Haley and Nathan both looked out of the blacked out window, seeing all the press waiting outside.

He took Haley's hand more firmly in his and asked, "Are you ready for this?"

Haley nodded as she shuffled towards the edge of the seat.

Nathan stepped out of the car first once the driver had opened the door for him, and the flashes from the cameras were going off like crazy. He sighed as he placed his hand inside the car, waiting for Haley to grab it and step out with him.

Haley reached for his hand slowly, and stepped out of the car. The noise from the photographers was deafening and the flashes from the cameras were blinding her. Nathan pulled her in close as they walked towards the front door, his arm securely wrapped around her waist. Haley smiled at the cameras, enjoying being close to Nathan again. She looked up at him and they both smiled at each other. He leaned down and kissed her lips, before dragging them both into the restaurant.

~*~

Nathan and Haley had finished their meal and he had just closed the door to the car and the driver had just started the engine. The photographers were still waiting outside the restaurant and Nathan couldn't have been prouder tonight. He had the girl of his dreams on his arms and he couldn't want for anything else. He looked over to Haley who was day dreaming about something or another. She really did look stunning tonight, dressed in a simple black strappy dress, which hugged her beautiful frame so perfectly. He couldn't resist the temptation being put in front of him, he needed to kiss her. "Come here." He said huskily as he wound his hand around her waist and pulled her in close to him.

Haley smiled as he scooted her into him, her hands instinctively wound around his neck and before she knew it, his mouth was hungrily on top of hers. She moaned when she parted her lips and felt his tongue tangle with hers. She had been thinking about the articles all night, they were playing with her, creeping into her thoughts when she thought she had managed to get rid of them, her insecurities being thrown right into the forefront of her thoughts, cruelly playing with her mind. But when he kissed her like he was doing now, she knew that he had eyes for her and her only, she could feel as his hands made their way down her shoulder and started to move the straps of her dress down her arm how much he wanted her and all those insecurities washed away.

Nathan moved his mouth from hers and licked his way down her neck, causing Haley to moan out his name breathlessly. He loved hearing her say his name like that, it was an instant turn on and he felt his cock grow hard, just like it always did. He started to bite and suck his way down her neck to her shoulder. His hands moved up her arm and his fingers hooked into her dress, as he moved them ever so slowly down her cleavage. He slid the dress down so her black lacy bra was showing and slipped his fingers inside, finding her erect nipple.

Haley felt his thumb and finger begin to pinch her nipples, while his mouth was still attacking her neck and shoulders. She closed her eyes, lost in complete and utter bliss. She felt his hands move and he peeled her bra from her body, pushing the cup just below her breast and watched as he looked at her, an utterly wicked grin spread across his face as he took her nipple in his mouth, his tongue swirling around and over it in such a masterful way, she couldn't think of anything but the sensations that were rippling through her. She needed to cross her legs for the throbbing going on down there was almost too much for her to take.

Nathan felt the engine of the car stopping and knew that they were back at Haley's house. He removed his mouth from her breast and pulled her bra back up so it was covering her breast again. He didn't quite see the point of her pulling her dress back up when he was going to rip it off her the moment they got inside, but he didn't think she would appreciate the driver being able to see her underwear.

Haley jumped out of the car and raced to the front door, wanting to get Nathan inside as quickly as possible but stopped in her tracks when she saw the bunch of red roses that were waiting on her front door step. He really was the most romantic man ever and this bunch of flowers was ten times bigger than the lilies he had given her earlier. She heard Nathan walk up behind her, and he snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her back into him.

Nathan wondered why Haley hadn't opened the front door yet and so bit down on her earlobe before saying sexily in her ear. "You plan on opening that front door anytime soon or am I going to have to take you on the door step?"

Haley giggled and turned to him, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"What was that for?" Nathan asked, not that he was complaining, Haley was one hell of a kisser.

"For those flowers you sent me. Thank you Nathan, they're wonderful." Haley gushed.

Nathan wondered what the hell she was going on about when he remembered. "Oh you mean the lilies I gave you earlier!" Nathan said, the realisation of what she was saying dawning on him. "You're welcome baby."

Haley pulled away from his embrace on her and walked over to the roses, picking them up and opening her front door. "Well thank you for the lilies and these roses then, they are both perfect." Haley smiled and walked into the lounge, placing the roses down on the coffee table, bending down as she did so to smell their sweet scent.

Nathan looked on at the roses, confused as hell. "Baby, I wish those were from me but I can tell you now that they're not."

Haley's head snapped up and she looked at him, a confused expression spread on her face. "What do you mean; of course they are from you! Who else would they be from?"

Nathan shrugged. "I have no idea; did they come with a card?"

Haley frowned as she searched inside the humungous bunch of flowers for a card, hoping that it did come with one, she wanted to know who had sent them if it wasn't Nathan so she could thank them. She hoped that they might be from Peyton, saying that she was sorry for the way she acted the past couple of days. Eventually she found the card and pulled it out, before ripping the envelope open, turning the card over to read who they were from, her mouth hanging open when she cast her eyes over the name written on the card.

Nathan watched her expression and couldn't read what she was thinking. "Well?" He asked impatiently when she hadn't told him who they were from after about thirty seconds of silence.

Haley placed the envelope down on the table and looked at him, confused. "They are from Chase."

**AN – Oh dear... what is Nathan going to say about that?! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter; I'm hoping to have the next one posted sometime this week. In the mean time, please let me know what you thought and don't forget to check out my new story – Think About Me! x**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN – Hey guys! Just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you that reviewed the last chapter! I thought all your Peyton/Chase comments were very funny! Things are about to get a little more interesting so I hope you all enjoy the next chapter! **

**I keep looking over what I have planned to happen in this story and can't believe how little I have crossed off so far... it looks like this is going to be a VERY long story... So I hope you guys don't mind!**

**And I can't believe I am still waiting on my Nathan / Haley make out scene on One Tree Hill... guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed for next week – although I seem to be doing that with every single episode that comes along!!!! Grr... Never mind.**

**Anyway, on with the next chapter... x**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Nathan burst out laughing. There was no way Haley had just said what he thought she had said, no way in hell. And if she had said what he had thought she had just said, well it had to be a joke, those flowers could not have been from him, it just wasn't possible, Nathan wouldn't let it be possible. "Seriously, those roses are from Chase?" Nathan said as he pointed to the flowers that Haley had placed on the coffee table in the lounge, still laughing, waiting with baited breath for Haley to join in too. "Nice one Hales, really, that was quite the joke!" Nathan said through his laughter. "You almost had me for a split second!"

Haley looked at Nathan, and then picked up the card from the flowers that she had just placed on the table and read the note again, praying that this time a different name had signed it, but as she looked at the card, Chase was still written on it, bright as day. _What an absolute cock. _She thought to herself, completely unimpressed with him sending her flowers of any kind, at any time, let alone after what he did to her. "I'm serious Nathan, they're from Chase." Haley confirmed as she looked up again to connect her gaze with his, wondering why Nathan thought this was so funny, she was expecting him to fly off the handle.

Nathan stopped laughing instantly, realising that Haley was being serious and that the huge bunch of red roses that were in her living room were from him, the absolute bastard. He felt his heart beat quicken and could already feel the rage and fury running through him. He didn't want to believe that those flowers were from him, he didn't want Chase to come into their lives now, not when everything had been going so well, not when they had just announced their relationship to the world and they had just enjoyed their first night out as a proper couple. Tonight was supposed to be about them enjoying themselves, being carefree like they had been in Barbados and he had fucking ruined it. "They are from Chase?" Nathan asked, trying to keep a hold of his temper, wanting confirmation from Haley for the third time, just to make sure he was hearing her right, hoping that somehow she would say someone else's name instead, even though he knew she wouldn't.

"Yep." Haley sighed. This was exactly what she needed; this is exactly what she wanted to happen in her life right now, Chase Adams coming back on the fucking scene, right when everything had been going amazingly well between her and Nathan. Yeah right! Something just had to come up and disturb the peace, she and Nathan had been enjoying a perfectly wonderful date and then they had to come right back down to Earth with one hell of a bump, and it had to be all because of Chase fucking Adams. She placed the card back on the table, wanting nothing more than to chuck those roses in the trash. She was about to pick them up when she heard Nathan talking, commanding her attention.

"Well what the fuck is he doing sending you roses?" Nathan asked, his voice rising with each word that came out of his mouth, his fists clenched to his sides, his face turning red with rage. How dare he come back into Haley's life, how dare he think that he can send flowers to his girlfriend! There was no way he was getting away with this.

Haley could hear his voice rising in volume, and realised that her first instincts were right. Nathan really was going to fly off the handle. She could see his hands balled up tightly at his sides, his face turning red, and Haley could tell that the look on his face was one of complete anger. "I have no idea." Haley said calmly, trying her best not to start freaking out herself, she didn't want Chase in her life, she had thought she had seen the back of him after Nathan had punched him when she had last seen him.

Nathan couldn't think of anything other than the need to find Chase and punch and kick him until he was on the floor screaming for Nathan to stop, and then of course he would just punch and kick him some more for good measure. How he thought he could worm his way back into their lives was beyond Nathan. He had to sort this shit out, and it had to be now. "Haley, where is your phone?" Nathan said through gritted teeth, worried if he opened his mouth any further that he would shout so loudly, the whole of New York would hear him.

Haley looked at him like he was mad. "Why?" Haley asked curiously, wondering why the hell Nathan was asking her where her phone was, that was the last thing she had expected him to say.

"Just give me your damn phone Haley." Nathan spoke lowly, his breathing increasing in pace, he wanted, no he needed to punch something so badly, he thought he was going to burst and this was not the time for Haley to be questioning what he wanted her to do for him.

Haley could tell that was a demand, but she wanted to know what he was planning on doing with her phone once he had it, she couldn't connect the dots at all, what did her phone have to do with a bunch of flowers that had arrived from Chase Adams? "I want to know why you want it." Haley insisted.

Nathan took a deep breath. All he wanted was her damn phone but she was choosing this moment to be stubborn, which really wasn't helping his anger. "You have Chase's number right? So I want to call him to tell him, nicely of course, to back the hell off." Nathan tried to speak as calmly as he could, but it was proving very difficult, given the situation he found himself in and especially when those flowers were staring at him, goading him, making him even angrier than he already was.

"Nathan, you are not going to call Chase, not when you're this angry." Haley put her hand on her hip as she spoke, there was no way she was going to let Nathan call him like this, lord knows what he would say, and it might only make Chase be more creepy with her if Nathan provoked him, which was definitely something Haley didn't want to happen. She'd had enough of creepy Chase to last her a lifetime.

"The hell I am Haley, now give me your phone!" Nathan shouted at her, walking over to where she stood by the stupid roses and held out his hand, waiting for her to go and find it so he could call him and give him a piece of his mind.

"No Nathan! I'm not giving it to you." Haley shouted back. She felt like stomping her foot, just to prove to Nathan how serious she was, he was not getting her phone, and she was not going to go get it for him, she didn't think that was the way to handle this at all.

Nathan took another deep breath, trying to hold his temper in, but it was getting harder and harder with each second that Haley didn't cooperate with him. "Haley, I'm warning you, either you give me your phone, or I go and find it."

Haley could feel her cheeks changing colour now, the anger brewing inside of her. Why the hell was he being like this? "No Nathan, I've said no, you are not getting my phone, not when you're like this." Haley shouted.

Nathan felt like grabbing her with his hands and shaking her, for she seemed to have lost all her sense. "Haley...." Nathan tried again but was interrupted.

"No." Haley said firmly.

Nathan groaned in frustration at her. Why Haley couldn't see that all he wanted to do was phone Chase and make sure that he knew that if he came anywhere near her, he would literally break him, he didn't know. One phone call could have Chase running so fast away from her, he would never bother her again, Nathan was sure it would do the trick. But Haley was being too stubborn for her own good and he could tell she wasn't going to budge, not on this one. He sighed and turned around; spotting the card that Haley had put back down on the table and picked it up, reading what the bastard had had the audacity to write, after everything he did to Haley.

"I'm Sorry. Forgive me? Chase x"

Nathan read. He didn't know why he had picked it up, he was curious as to what is said, but that curiosity soon turned to even more rage when he had finished reading his little apology, if you could call it that. "Haley, after what he did to you, how you can want to sit back and do nothing, I don't understand. I'm trying to look after you, protect you." Nathan tried to reason with her.

"Nathan you calling Chase and shouting at him is only going to make things worse." Haley fought back.

"No it won't Haley, it will make him leave you alone." Nathan tired to offer Haley his reasoning.

"How can you be sure Nathan? How do you know that you calling him won't egg him on, make him even more determined?" Haley shouted, frustrated that he wasn't letting this go.

"It won't. And if it does I'll step things up a notch." Nathan shouted over Haley's words.

"And what good is that going to do Nathan?" Haley shook her head at him.

"Well it would make me feel better for a start. You are my girlfriend Haley. I don't like it when other men, especially men like Chase Adams, send you roses."

Haley's mouth dropped open. "Well it wasn't like I fucking asked for him to send them to me Nathan!"

"I don't care about that! The fact is that you've got them and so I need to deal with it." Nathan yelled.

"Nathan, I will deal with Chase okay. Please don't get involved." Haley tried to calm the both of them down, they weren't getting anywhere by fighting like this.

"Like you dealt with him last time?" Nathan bit back. "Cos that worked out really well for you didn't it."

Haley couldn't believe what he had just said, how he could use that night that Chase had all but forced himself on her, against her made her really angry, especially now that she and Nathan were in a relationship. "I'm sorry what did you just say?" Haley snarled at him, daring him to say it again.

Nathan didn't care what she thought, he was going to get through to her if it killed him, and he knew he had just majorly pissed her off with his last comment but he needed to make her see, he was only trying to prevent something like that from happening again. "You remember what happened the last time you tried to deal with Chase Adams by yourself, don't you?"

"You know what Nathan, yes I do remember, funnily enough. So there is no need for you to ever bring that night up again okay?" Haley screeched at him, the anger completely taking control of her now.

"I'm only trying to stop something like that from happening again Haley, why can't you see that?" Nathan shouted.

"Why can't you understand that I said I would deal with this in my own way, without the need for you to call and have a go at him? Why won't you listen to me?" Haley shouted back, trying to get through to him.

Nathan shook his head at her. He was so god damned frustrated at this whole thing and he knew that if he wanted to he could argue until the morning about this with Haley, until they were both blue in the face. It seemed she really didn't want him to call Chase, and he was going to respect that decision, but that didn't mean that he was happy about it, not one bit. "I think I'm just going to go home Haley." Nathan said with a sigh, hating the fact that Chase's flowers had managed to get between them, which was probably what he wanted to achieve by sending them to her but he was too angry with Chase, and with Haley to stay a moment longer, he was officially going to lose it very, very soon, and he didn't want to do that in front of Haley.

"Fine." Haley said as she crossed her arms over her chest. God he was annoying, he wouldn't let this thing drop, it was probably best that he went home tonight as it would give both of them the rest of the night to calm down, they would only spend the rest of the night arguing, going around in circles, driving each other crazy.

"I'll call you in the morning okay?" Nathan said to her as he walked towards the front door.

"Okay." Haley said as she grabbed the roses and walked towards the kitchen. There was no way she was going to walk him out, not after their fight. If he wanted to leave, he could, he was just going to have to see himself out.

Nathan sighed when he looked back and saw that Haley was walking in the opposite direction. He shook his head at the whole situation and walked out of her house, jumping in his car he had left at her house before the car had picked them up earlier to take them to the restaurant and sped off home, incredibly pissed off.

Haley walked into the kitchen and nearly threw the fucking roses through the window. She resisted the temptation to though, instead pulling them out of the vase and throwing them in the trash instead. She leant against the counter and closed her eyes. She knew Nathan was only trying to protect her from Chase, but he wasn't listening to what she wanted to do about it, that was what had fucked her off.

She sighed, deciding to try to go and get some sleep; she wasn't going to do herself any favours just sitting around feeling sorry for herself. And Nathan had said he would call her in the morning, so the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner they could talk and get back to normal.

Haley walked upstairs to her room and changed into her black satin slip and climbed into bed. She closed her eyes and begged her body to let her get some sleep, but after fifteen minutes of lying in the dark, tossing and turning, she realised it wasn't coming at all. All she could think about was her and Nathan's fight. She shouldn't have just let him walk out of her house without saying goodbye or walking him to the door, that was really rude of her. And then she started replaying the fight in her head, going over every word that had been said, wondering why he had said what he did, why she had said what she had. Haley was really tired but her body and her brain didn't seem to be listening to her, she was driving herself crazy.

Nathan had stopped driving, he was too pissed off to drive, and it was getting dangerous, his temper was consuming his every thought and he wasn't concentrating on the road. He slammed his fist against his steering wheel. He wasn't just angry at Chase for sending those flowers, he was also angry at himself. He should have listened to Haley, talked to her rationally about what she wanted to do about it, instead of trying to take complete control of the situation and shouting at her. But all Nathan had wanted to do was protect her. She was his girlfriend, he cared a great deal about her, and he didn't ever want her seeing that asshole ever again. He knew he couldn't control her like that but he was going to do all he could to keep her safe, he never wanted to have to find her in a situation like she had been in with Chase ever again.

He knew he had to see her, apologise to her for his behaviour, apologise for shouting at her, she didn't deserve that, and like she said, she hadn't asked for Chase to send those flowers to her. And Nathan knew what his game was, he wanted him and Haley to break up and the fact that they had let those flowers come between them pissed him off even more. He started the engine of his car again and turned around, driving speedily back to Haley's.

She opened her eyes, looking into the darkness, not wanting to think about it anymore. She needed to speak to Nathan; she didn't want to go to sleep with this hanging over her and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to sleep until they had spoken about it. She wanted to sort it out now and couldn't wait until the morning to speak to him. She reached over and grabbed her phone which she had placed on her bedside table and scrolled to Nathan's number. She was just about to hit the call button, when she heard someone knocking on her door.

Haley got out of bed and walked downstairs, wondering who the hell would be knocking on her door at gone midnight? She walked to her front door and opened it, smiling when she saw Nathan standing on the other side.

Nathan smiled as she opened the door, feeling incredibly relieved when he saw a smile across her face. "Baby I'm sorry." Nathan said as Haley let him walk inside the house. "I shouldn't have shouted at you, I just, I hate him!"

Haley laughed at him. "I know, I'm sorry too. I was actually just calling you. I couldn't get to sleep without speaking to you first. I didn't want to leave things the way they were. I'm glad you came back."

"We can't let him come between us, okay? That's probably what he wanted to achieve by sending the flowers to you." Nathan said as he pulled Haley close to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, I know." Haley yawned, allowing Nathan to hold her to him, but finding that she was tired just at wondering what they were going to do about it all.

"I just don't want you to find yourself in another situation like that again, and the fact that he did it to you and now has the cheek to send you roses and apologise, well, it just gets to me that's all."

"I know you're only trying to look out for me." Haley smiled up at Nathan.

"Well, we are going to have to do something about him, okay? But we can talk about that later."

Haley nodded and found another yawn escaping from her mouth.

Nathan laughed at how tired Haley obviously was, given that she couldn't stop yawning. "Come on sleepy head, let's get you to bed." Nathan said as he pulled away from her and wrapped his arm around Haley's waist, placing a kiss on the top of her head and walked her up the stairs towards her bedroom.

~*~

The following evening, Nathan and Haley had found themselves literally dragged to Lucas' bar, as Brooke had wanted some company for the evening. The bar was heaving as always, Lucas was working away behind the bar and Nathan found himself sitting at a table with Brooke and Haley, who seemed to be discussing all things girly. Nathan hadn't been listening to the conversation for the last fifteen minutes, instead thinking about basketball, the gym, and anything else remotely manly.

"Honey what do you think?" Haley asked Nathan, jolting him out of his daydream.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nathan said, not even bothering to pretend he was listening to what they had been rambling on about, for if he did, he would only find himself agreeing to something that he didn't want to do.

"Men! " Brooke exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. "Are you saying that you weren't just listening to our conversation?" Brooke asked incredulously, as if Nathan had offended them both by not paying attention, she was, of course, joking, she knew how bored Nathan probably was at all the gassing she and Haley had been doing ever since they arrived.

"To be honest, I kind of zoned out on you guys when you started talking about bikini waxes." Nathan rolled his eyes. Girls were unbelievable; they could literally talk for days about nothing of any use to anyone, Nathan didn't understand how they could do it without getting so bored.

Haley laughed when Nathan rolled his eyes. "We were just talking about my birthday in a couple of weeks, Brooke said we could have a party here, I was just wondering what you thought."

"Whatever you want to do baby is fine with me. Just let me know when you're planning on doing something so I can plan my present around it." Nathan said, as he placed his arm over Haley's chair, leaning forward as he did so and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Oh!" Haley squealed once Nathan had pulled away from her. "Does that mean that you have something special planned?" Haley asked, her eyes wide in anticipation at what he could possibly have up his sleeve for her birthday.

"My lips are sealed." Nathan said as he raised his eyebrows, smiling at how excited Haley seemed to be for her birthday. His eyes quickly swept down her body, she looked stunning tonight, dressed in a strapless black dress, which was super tight at the top and then flowed out at the waist until it stopped just above her knees. She had teamed her dress with some black stiletto shoes, making her curvy legs look even more irresistible that they usually did. Nathan wanted to run his hand slowly up her thigh, not stopping until he found his hands inside of her.

Haley smiled back at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his face close to hers. "Any chance you could be persuaded to give up some information?" She muttered in a sexy voice, her eyes dropping to his lips and then slowly drifted back up his face, connecting her gaze with his eyes again.

"Well I definitely wouldn't object to you trying." Nathan smirked back, pulling Haley's face closer to his and kissing her softly on the lips.

Haley returned the kiss to Nathan, wanting to deepen it but she was interrupted by Brooke.

"Aw you two are so damn cute together." Brooke gushed.

She had heard what Brooke had just said and so she pulled away from Nathan's kiss, and rested her forehead against his, chuckling to herself. She let her gaze wander over to where Brooke was sitting across the table to find her looking at herself and Nathan like they were an exhibit at the zoo. "I think we have an audience!" Haley whispered to Nathan.

Nathan turned his head slightly to find Brooke staring at him and Haley, gushing like a four year old. He turned his attention back to his beautiful girlfriend. "So do I." He whispered back, wanting to do nothing more than spend the whole night staring into her chocolate brown eyes. He pulled away from her though and looked down at the table, seeing that they all needed refills of their drinks. "I'm going to go and get another round in and leave you girls to party plan." Nathan said as he placed another light kiss on Haley's lips and excused himself from the table, smiling to himself as he heard Brook morph into full Brooke Davis Party Planner Extraordinaire mode.

Nathan sighed to himself when he finally got to the bar, resting his face in his hands, unable to stop thinking about the cheek Chase Adams had at sending Haley flowers. He was pleased that Brooke had dragged them both out tonight though; it was just what they both needed. Now all Nathan needed to do was to stop thinking about him, which was proving rather difficult and everything would be good.

Nathan looked up from his position on the bar to find Lucas staring at him. Nathan still couldn't shake that feeling that he should have made Haley give him Chase's number last night so that he could have sorted the mess out then and there. He wanted to get this off his chest.

Lucas watched as Nathan thought about whatever was bothering him, seeing his eyebrows creasing on his face. "I would have thought that you would be bouncing off the walls right now with happiness, given that the press conference went well and last night's pictures looked great in the papers this morning." Lucas said, wondering what could be on his brother's mind as everything with Haley was going great as far as he could see.

Nathan sighed again and picked out a straw from behind the bar and started fiddling with it before finally speaking. "Chase Adams is back on the scene."

"Chase Adams?" Lucas said in surprise.

"The one and only." Nathan muttered bitterly, throwing the straw he had in his hands behind the bar.

"Oh." Was all Lucas could think to say to that piece of information, he hadn't seen that one coming.

Nathan looked at Luke with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to say more, knowing that he would once he had time to process what he had just told him.

Lucas' brain suddenly clicked into gear and he began speaking, a barrage of questions entering his mind. "How do you know he's back?" Lucas asked what he felt was the first sensible question.

"She had a bunch of red roses waiting for her once we got back to her place from the restaurant last night."

"Shit. I bet that didn't go down well, and what a great way to end an evening! So what did you do?" Lucas asked, knowing that Nathan wouldn't have just smiled and said that it didn't matter, that wasn't what he was like at all.

"At first I thought she was joking, but then I realised that she wasn't... and then I completely lost it." Nathan summarised the events of the previous evening for his brother.

"Well it wasn't like she asked for the flowers to be sent to her, was it?" Lucas scalded Nathan slightly, although he wasn't at all surprised at Nathan's behaviour, if anything, he was surprised that Nathan hadn't already tracked Chase down and beaten the shit out of him.

"I know, that's exactly what she said. Nathan shook his head before continuing. "I just couldn't help being so angry, you know, especially after what happened to her with him, I just want to stop anything like that happening again."

"Shit, the guy that tried it on with her when you went to save her was Chase?" Luke asked, connecting the dots together.

"Yep." Nathan said, getting agitated as the memory of that night entered his head again.

"Well Haley's not going to go out with him again Nathan, she's with you now." Lucas tried to reason with Nathan, hoping that his words were helping slightly.

"I know your right Luke, but every time I think about him, I remember that night and I just can't help myself getting all worked up. I should have beaten him to fucking death when I had the chance." Nathan blew out in frustration.

"Well hopefully you won't have to deal with him again." Lucas tried to say something helpful, but couldn't really think of anything better than that. He decided to change the subject, hoping that Nathan would be able to forget about it and enjoy the evening. "So do you guys need some more drinks?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah please." Nathan said as he blew out a long breath and ran his hand through his hair, stroking the back of his head as he watched Luke start to get their drinks. He turned his head to the side and looked through the crowd when his heart stopped. He swore he had just seen Chase through a gap in the crowd. He blinked a couple of times and looked again at exactly the same spot where he had thought he had just seen him, only Chase was nowhere to be seen. He quickly turned his head, looking at the rest of the bar but had no luck in seeing Chase again. He rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Great, now I'm fucking seeing things." He muttered to himself. This whole Chase business was officially making him insane.

"So I was totally thinking we could do like a fancy dress theme for your party." Brooke said so excitedly she may as well have been talking about her billion dollar win on the lottery.

Haley was distracted; she couldn't stop thinking about those stupid roses she had received last night. She doubted her decision to not let Nathan call Chase last night, maybe he had been right. She had this feeling that Chase wasn't finished with her yet and that those roses were just the beginning of a bombardment of Chase mess that she and Nathan would have to wade their way through.

Brooke could tell that Haley wasn't listening to a word she was saying. "And I thought you could turn up stark naked." Brooke said, testing if Haley was paying any attention whatsoever to her.

Haley had heard Brooke say something and decided to blurt out a response so that Brooke thought she was listening, and hoped that a response from her would keep Brooke quiet as she wanted to think about Chase some more and decide what she was going to do about it. "Sure Brooke, that sounds great." Haley muttered distractedly.

"Haley!" Brooke whined as she slapped Haley's arm, trying to command at least some of her attention. "You're not paying any attention to me and I'm trying to arrange your birthday party!"

Haley was jolted out of her thoughts when Brooke slapped her arm, so she turned to look at Brooke, seeing a frown on her face. "I'm sorry Brooke; I've just got some stuff on my mind."

"Like what?" Brooke asked, wanting to see if it was anything she could fix, even if it was just listening to Haley talk about it, it might help.

Haley proceeded to tell Brooke about what happened last night and the argument that she and Nathan had had over the whole situation. Once she had finished, she waited anxiously for Brooke's appraisal of the matter.

Brooke rolled her eyes at Haley. "You should have let Nathan call him Haley. He was in his 'I must protect my girlfriend' mode, which by the way is totally sexy on a man. And let me tell you this, you, Haley James, probably missed out on some of the hottest sex you could ever hope for last night!" Brooke said as she raised her eyebrows at Haley.

It was Haley's turn to roll her eyes at Brooke and she couldn't help but laugh at Brooke's reaction to what she had just told her. "You are unbelievable, you know that?" She responded as she shook her head.

Brooke sipped the rest of her cocktail and placed it on the table once she had finished it. "What! I only speak the truth! Possessive sex is hot! Everyone knows that! And where the hell is Nathan with those drinks?"

"I actually have no idea, he's been gone a while, he's probably chatting to Lucas." Haley said as she turned around in her seat and tried to find Nathan at the bar. "Oh shit!" She shouted out when her eyes finally found him.

Lucas had just placed the three drinks Nathan needed for himself, Haley and Brooke on the bar, and Nathan was just about to turn and pull his wallet out of his back pocket, when he heard someone speak beside him.

"I'll pay for Haley's drink, if you don't mind."

Nathan felt his heart rate increasing, at the fact that some punk wanted to buy his girlfriend a drink. He lifted his head so he could look the punk in the eyes, only to receive a shock when his eyes drifted over the guy's face. He could already feel his hands balling up into fists, willing to connect with his face, but he restrained himself. "I don't think so." Nathan growled at him.

"Aw, come on Nate, I'm just trying to be friendly."

"You're talking to the wrong person if you want to make friends, believe me Chase." Nathan hissed.

"Did she get the flowers I sent her?" Chase asked casually, choosing to ignore Nathan's icy tone. "I might go and check if she liked them." Chase said as he looked around the bar, trying to spot Haley.

Nathan slammed his fist against the bar and looked up to find Lucas on the other side of the bar, staring at him. He silently looked at Luke, asking with his eyes for permission to grab Chase and kick him out. As soon as Lucas nodded his head, Nathan grabbed Chase's jacket and dragged him outside.

Haley and Brooke had been watching the scene from their table. As soon as Nathan grabbed Chase, they jumped up and followed Nathan and Chase outside, wondering what the hell Nathan was going to do to him. They made their way through the crowd, and eventually Haley and Brooke had just walked out of the front door of the club and looked around, trying to find where Nathan had dragged Chase to. They spotted Nathan walking around the corner with him and ran after him quickly. When they turned the corner, they saw that Nathan had Chase backed up against the wall and had his fist pulled back, ready to start punching him.

"Nathan!" Haley called out. "Stop, he's not worth it." Haley really didn't want Nathan to start punching him, not outside the club where anyone could see. It would no doubt end up in the papers the next morning and do nothing for his reputation.

Nathan turned to look at Haley, looking into her eyes, seeing her pleading with him to not start beating the crap out of him.

"Aw baby, were you worried about me?" Chase called out to Haley, causing Haley to roll her eyes and nearly walk over to him and slap him on the face as hard as she could.

Nathan snarled at Chase, pressing his arm into his neck even more. "Don't you fucking dare." He said in a low tone to Chase. "Don't you dare talk to her."

Chase laughed; knowing that now Haley was there, Nathan wouldn't start anything with him.

"Nathan, come on, let's go back inside." Haley said softly, hoping to calm him down a bit.

Nathan stepped in closer to Chase, so his face was right in front of him. "You are one lucky son of a bitch. If Haley hadn't come out you wouldn't be able to breathe right now. I'm going to give you one last warning. Stay the hell away from Haley and from me. Trust me; you won't want to find out the consequences if you don't." Nathan spoke calmly but firmly enough so that Chase knew he was serious, even though the blood was pumping through his body and his heart was beating so quickly. He let go of Chase and walked back towards Haley and Brooke.

"See I told you, totally hot." Brooke said as she nudged Haley in the side. "Enjoy the sex tonight." She winked at Haley and then turned and walked back into the bar.

Haley blushed. Brooke was right. Nathan was totally hot when he was like this; the way he was talking had been turning her on, even though she had been worried about what he was doing. She felt Nathan latch onto her arm and begin to walk her back into the bar, when she pulled on his arm, forcing him to turn around.

"Hales, I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't let him get to me and I don't mean to be so possessive." Nathan rushed out before she could start having a go at him for nearly hitting Chase.

Haley looked into his eyes and could see how frustrated he still was. She reached up and ran her hand down his face. "I'm yours Nathan, no one else's. No one can come between us."

"I know. I shouldn't have done it, I'm sorry." Nathan said as he relaxed slightly into Haley's touch.

"You know, that was actually quite sexy." Haley said, moving her hand from his face to his chest, running her finger suggestively down his shirt, feeling his muscular chest underneath her touch, his sexy muscles turning her on even more.

Nathan laughed. "Sexy huh?" He said looking down at Haley, seeing her tongue come out of her mouth and run slowly over her lips. God she was hot! "Come on, let's get out of here." Nathan grabbed Haley's arm once again and walked them away from the bar, calling a car as he did so, wanting nothing more than to spend some quality time alone with Haley.

~*~

Nathan had just walked through the door of Haley's house and was closing the door behind him when he felt Haley grab his arm and pull him into her, her lips crashing onto his in a hungry kiss as he turned around to face her. He felt her arms wrap around his neck and instinctively moved his around her waist, pulling her even closer to him, forgetting all about his confrontation with Chase and concentrating all his efforts on his incredibly sexy girlfriend.

Haley felt Nathan kiss her back just as forcefully, and moaned when she felt his tongue part her lips and slide into her mouth, tangling with hers. The kiss became even more heated and air soon became an issue. Nathan pulled away from her mouth and left a trail of feather light kisses down her jaw and neck. She felt him place a lingering kiss on the side of her neck just below her ear. "You have no idea how much I want you." He said seductively, his tongue swirling along her neck, before he placed a hot wet kiss on her pulse point.

Haley smiled at his words and sighed when he started sucking and biting her neck, the tingling feeling running right through her body to the tips of her toes. "God you turn me on so much Nathan." Haley moaned.

The words that had just come out of her mouth made Nathan growl against her neck. He moved his mouth up to hers and captured hers in a searing kiss, her lips parting instantly so his tongue could move into her mouth. His hands wandered down her body, over her incredible curves and then climbed back up towards the zipper on the strapless dress she was wearing. He lowered the zip and pulled away breathlessly from the kiss, watching with a smile on his face as the black fabric fell to a puddle around her ankles. His line of vision followed the dress down to the floor, and his eyes wandered hungrily back up her body so slowly, he wanted to take in every inch of her sexy body. His gaze lingered on her black lacy panties that she was wearing, and then followed up her flat stomach, towards her breasts. His eyes grew wide when he realised that Haley wasn't wearing a bra, his eyes finding her breasts naked in front of him. A smile crept across his face as he lent in and started to kiss her lightly on the lips, before moving his mouth down her neck towards her breasts, they were far too tempting for him not to worship with his mouth. When he finally reached her right breast, he let his tongue run around her now hardened nipple, before covering it with his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around and over it.

Haley moaned helplessly and threw her head back, he was an absolute expert in using his mouth on her, she had never felt this way before, unless it was with him. Every time she was with him, things just felt perfect, she didn't ever want to be anywhere else than with him forever. She felt his mouth move back up her body, over her neck towards hers again and she captured his lips with hers, her hands moving to unbutton his shirt, which she practically ripped off him, throwing it across the floor. Her hands then moved down to his jeans, which she unbuttoned and then peeled off him. She wanted him, needed him, craved him and she couldn't wait a second longer.

Nathan felt Haley's mouth move to his neck, she was nipping and biting on his skin, quite roughly, which was turning him on so much. He walked her over to the kitchen which was the closest room he could find, Haley's mouth never leaving his neck. He pushed Haley back against the counter and once her back hit it, she moved her mouth lower, kissing every inch of his chest, running her tongue along his muscles, causing him to moan out her name.

Haley felt his hand move down her bare back and over her ass, before he moved across her thigh, bringing his hand back up on the inside of her leg, tickling her slightly. She felt his hand move over her centre through her panties, lightly tracing over her folds, causing her to groan out. She wanted more from Nathan, and so pushed herself against his hand.

"You're so wet." Nathan groaned out as he moved his hand up and down her folds, feeling her wetness seep through the lace. He couldn't wait to feel her wetness around his hard cock and that thought had him growing harder.

"Only for you baby." Haley moaned against his skin. She moved her hand to the waistband of his boxers, she could already feel how hard he was but he wanted to feel it with her hands. Her hand slipped inside his boxers, and moved towards his cock and when she reached it she wound her hand around his thickness. "You're so hard." She mumbled against his neck and started to move her hand up and down his cock, which caused him to groan out her name. She smiled in satisfaction, happy that she was able to make him feel this way.

Haley's hand was pumping ferociously up and down his cock and Nathan knew that if she kept going, he wasn't going to be able to last much longer, so he moved his hands and peeled her knickers down her legs and ran his hand teasingly through her folds, before lightly brushing her clit. He heard Haley sigh and felt her grip on him loosen, and then felt her hand move out of his boxers as she pressed both her hands on the counter behind her. He repeated the action, hearing her gasp again when his fingers ran over her clit for the second time. He moved his hand back through her folds, before running his fingers over her entrance, his hands dripping with her wetness.

He was teasing her, and Haley didn't like it one bit, she wanted to feel his fingers inside of her, she couldn't take it any longer. "Nathan." She moaned out.

He didn't stop his ministrations, and continued moving his fingers up and down over her entrance. "Mmmm?" He asked, knowing that she wanted more, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"Don't tease." Haley groaned breathlessly.

"What do you mean?" Nathan smirked as he ran his tongue down her neck.

"Don't... tease..." She managed to get out. God his fingers were driving her crazy.

"Tell me what you want." Nathan said huskily, in a commanding voice.

Haley didn't say anything for a while, she couldn't catch her breath, but she felt the pace of his fingers moving up and down her entrance quicken and she couldn't take it anymore. She gasped, feeling so turned on in that moment; he was all she could think about. "I want you." She cried out breathlessly, screeching when she felt his fingers plunge inside of her.

His past was fast and his fingers were moving so expertly inside of her, hitting her in all the right places. She could feel the coil in the centre of her stomach begin to tighten. She closed her eyes in pleasure as she relaxed into the rhythm he had begun to build up.

"You like that?" Nathan mumbled sexily against her neck, already knowing the answer.

Haley couldn't responded with anything but a groan. His fingers felt amazing but she needed to feel his cock inside of her and she knew that the only way she was going to get it was by asking for it. "Nathan, I need you inside of me." Haley said slowly pulling back from him and looking sexily into his gorgeous blue eyes.

He looked into her eyes, seeing them clouded with desire and removed his fingers from her. He tore his boxers down his legs, and saw Haley's eyes lock on his cock. He grabbed her legs and picked her up from the floor, sitting her down on the counter top, feeling her legs wrap around him, before he guided his hard cock to her entrance.

Haley felt his cock thrust into her and they both groaned out at the feel of being connected with each other. Their hips started to move in unison, building up a fast and furious pace. The feel of him being inside of her again, and the way his mouth was moving hot and wet on her neck was nearly her undoing and she could feel the orgasm building deep inside of her.

Nathan never wanted this to end, but he could already feel the pleasure building. She was absolutely fucking perfect. He knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer so he moved his hand in between them and started to rub her clit with his thumb, moving in a circular motion, which caused Haley's breathing to increase in pace.

"Nathan..." Haley groaned out and dug her nails into his shoulder, and Nathan couldn't help but smile, an amazing feeling running through him, knowing that she was all his. He knew she was close to her release, just like he was and so continued moving his thumb around her clit, when he felt the waves of pleasure come from deep inside of her, her walls tightening around his cock. He could feel the juices from her coating him, and as he thrust inside of her once more, he spilled his load as deep inside of her as he could get.

Haley panted against his shoulder as she felt him explode inside of her. They rested, their foreheads pressed together for a moment, until she felt Nathan move his cock out of her and was surprised by the emptiness she felt at the loss of him.

Nathan wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her deeply on the mouth, only to be interrupted by someone knocking on the door. He heard Haley groan against his lips, her hands winding in his hair, pulling him closer to her. The knocking continued, it was getting louder and Nathan knew it wasn't going to stop until someone had answered the door.

Haley felt Nathan trying to pull away from her. "Ignore it Nathan." Haley said as she pulled him back to her.

"Let me just go and get rid of whoever is there and then we can go upstairs, okay?" Nathan said as he unwrapped Haley's legs from around his waist.

"Upstairs huh?" Haley smiled sexily at him.

"Yep, I haven't finished with you yet." Nathan said with raised eyebrows as he pulled his boxers back on and walked to the front door, putting a polite smile on his face, hoping that he could get rid of the person who was there as quickly as possible. He opened the door fully and couldn't believe who was standing in front of him. "You must have a fucking death wish Chase." Nathan growled.

**AN – Ooh so what do you guys think Nathan is going to do about Chase turning up at Haley's house?! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter – let me know what you thought of it by dropping me a review! **

**I'm probably going to be updating Think About Me first before updating this, so keep a look out – the next chapter to this should be out sometime next week! x**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews of the last chapter! I feel like I should start selling I hate Chase and Peyton t-shirts!! But keep the comments coming – I love reading them! I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get this chapter up but I do have a good excuse I promise! I decided on Thursday to take a holiday and so Friday I found myself on a flight to Dallas – which is where I am now!!! Its 3am on Saturday morning and I can't sleep anymore – given that its 9am back home, so I decided to spend the next few hours getting this chapter out for you guys! So apologies if there are any mistakes because I'm still quite tired but my body doesn't want to sleep! Lord knows how I'm going to survive a full on shopping day – but I'm sure I'll live!**

**And I am still waiting for the hot Nathan/Haley scene in One Tree Hill... but their scenes this week were cute – I loved Nathan's dancing! **

**Anyway, on with the next chapter!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Nathan couldn't stop the snarl appearing across his face, and given who was standing on the other side of Haley's door, he thought he had a good enough reason to have such a look on his face. His eyes wouldn't stop boring into Chase's, but Chase was meeting Nathan's gaze, it was as if he was challenging Nathan, and he couldn't help but scoff at that. He surely had to remember the time when Nathan had found him with Haley, and the punch that followed, that had knocked him to the ground. Nathan had the sense to stop then, although looking back, he shouldn't have, and maybe a hospital visit would have stopped Chase from having the guts to show up here. He knew he wouldn't have the same self restraint he had showed on that night again. Nathan was by default a man with quite a temper, and he fought fiercely to protect those he cared about. And he cared about Haley more than anything in the world. Chase didn't stand a chance.

Nathan was trying to think of something to say, but the anger was boiling through his veins, like fire that burned, and the only way to stop it was to start punching now, his brain couldn't comprehend a single thought other than the need to hurt this bastard who had the audacity to show up here, after everything he had done to his girlfriend. His fists were balled at his side, ready to strike at any given second. He was still staring at Chase, and Chase was still matching his glare. Nathan wouldn't look away first; he was waiting for Chase to do it. He would wait all night if he had to.

Chase started to smirk at Nathan, and that caused his lip to curl up and a low growl to escape from the thick of his throat. However, that noise only seemed to make Chase's smirk grow wider. Nathan knew he wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer, he could feel his hands start to move up, ready to hit him, and it was taking all of Nathan's self-restraint to hold them balled down at his sides, and he knew he was wasting his frustration and anger on trying to keep his hands down, instead of hitting Chase's face.

"So is Haley here?" Chase asked with that smirk still planted right across his face, while trying to look past Nathan to see if she was behind him or something.

_So he really does have a death wish. _Nathan thought to himself. He took an extremely deep breath to try to calm himself down a little and control the emotions that were running through him, but he didn't think it did that much good. He took a step outside and closed the door slightly, so that Haley wouldn't hear most of what was going to happen next. Given that she didn't want him to call Chase when she had received the flowers, he wasn't sure she would like the idea of him punching Chase senseless, until he was on the ground, probably unconscious. He took another deep breath before speaking, hoping to control the sound of his voice. "Did you not hear me at the bar?" Nathan asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah I did, I just chose not to listen." Chase said, this time with a full blown smile on his face.

Nathan sucked in another breath. He hated his cocky nature, he hated the fact that he was taking that tone with him, it was completely unacceptable as far as Nathan was concerned. "Yeah? Well, trust me, you should have." Nathan took a couple more steps forward so he was now right in Chase's face. Nathan was much taller and more bulky than Chase, so he hoped, well he wanted, this action to scare him a little. He felt Chase take a small step back and smirked to himself, and at Chase. Guys like him were so easy to intimidate. Nathan took another step forward, and watched with a growing smirk as Chase took another step back. He saw Chase gulp and almost laughed out loud at that. "What's the matter Chase?" Nathan said as nonchalantly as he could, and given the circumstances, he was quite pleased with the tone of his voice, he didn't want Chase to know how angry he was, not yet, he wanted his fists to do that kind of talking.

Chase took another gulp as Nathan walked in even closer to him. "N...N...Nothing." He stammered.

Nathan stood in much closer to Chase, so his face was literally in his. He was enjoying the fact that Chase looked so afraid, and so he should. He could wait to see his face in a couple of minute's time either. "I told you to stay away. And I don't think you turning up at Haley's house in the middle of the night constitutes staying away. Do you?" Nathan asked while turning his head to the side, as if he was pondering this thought.

Chase didn't say anything. Nathan saw him open his mouth to try to speak but it seemed he couldn't find his voice. Nathan laughed cruelly at this, only he didn't think it was cruel at all, Nathan thought it wasn't even close to what he deserved. He tried to scramble back even further, but Nathan knew with a couple more steps, Chase was going to hit the wall and then have no room left to step back any further. Nathan decided to get Chase up against the wall anyway, and so he took two large steps forward, which caused Chase to step back automatically. Nathan watched as he felt the wall behind him, and he started to look around for another possible escape route, of which there wasn't one, apart from running around Nathan, and there was no way he was going to let him get away, not this time. He'd warned him once, and Chase hadn't listened. So now it really was time to drive this message home.

"Why are you here Chase?" Nathan spat out, he was still trying to keep a hold of his breathing, and his heart was beating so fast he wasn't sure how he managed to keep his breaths so calm.

Chase looked up to meet Nathan's ferocious gaze and found himself numb again, his voice nowhere to be found.

Nathan took another deep breath when he realised Chase wasn't going to answer. "Why are you here? What do you want?" Nathan shouted. He wanted to try to understand what the hell he was thinking? Why he thought it was okay after what he had done to turn up on Haley's doorstep in the middle of the night. It just didn't make any sense to him, he should be ashamed about what he did and never want to see her again.

A minute of silence went by; the only sounds were Chase's scared, sharp breaths and Nathan's long, deep ones.

Nathan could feel the anger and frustration that Chase wasn't giving him an answer run through him; it wasn't helping Nathan understand his twisted mind at all. He wanted to know what could possess Chase to even think that Haley would want to see him. His hands were itching to hit Chase's face and Nathan knew he couldn't deny them that action for much longer. "I told you to stay away." Nathan shouted, as his right fist connected with the bottom of Chase's jaw, the force of the punch caused Chase's whole body to swing right along with the hit. Next Nathan's left fist connected with his right cheek, causing his whole body to now swing right back again. Before Chase had a chance to cover his face, Nathan sent a couple more punches his way, some were sent to his stomach, and some to his face. He couldn't seem to stop now he had started, all he could think about was what he had done to Haley, and that was just fuelling him on further. "Do you hear the fucking message now Chase? Do you understand what I'm saying?" Nathan shouted as he punched him again and again.

Haley was still sitting inside her house on the counter in the kitchen. She could hear some strange sounds coming from outside and wondered who the hell Nathan could be talking to, in fact, who the hell was showing up at her house at this time of the night? She decided to stay put though, thinking that Nathan was dealing with whoever it was. She hoped he was quick, she didn't want to be waiting all night, she needed more of him, and her body was still so turned on from earlier, she thought about going upstairs and waiting for Nathan there, but decided to stay put.

A minute went by and Haley heard nothing. She craned her head so she was looking out into the hallway, trying to see if she could see Nathan but he didn't seem to be there. The next thing she heard was Nathan's voice, shouting out something. He seemed really angry and Haley had no idea why he was shouting like that at someone who was on her doorstep. It was quite rude actually. Haley clambered off the counter and found Nathan's shirt, and put it on her, doing up a couple of buttons to cover herself. The shirt went down to her knees anyway, so it wasn't like whoever it was at the door could see anything.

She wandered hastily to the door and saw that it was closed slightly. She walked up behind the closed door and listened, to see if she could hear anything, when she jumped at the sound of what could only be punching. She quickly opened the door and walked out, looking from left to right, trying to see where the noises were coming from. She then spotted Nathan in the corner, punching someone so harshly, they didn't stand a chance. "Nathan!" Haley shouted, while running over to see if she could stop him. She didn't know what the hell possessed him to start punching a visitor, someone who happened to just drop by at her house. Nathan didn't seem to hear her though; either that or he didn't want to stop punching. "Nathan!" Haley said, this time in a more clear and authoritative voice.

Nathan could hear Haley shouting out his name but he didn't want to listen. He was too angry to start taking orders from her, he just wanted to vent some of his frustrations out on Chase, which was exactly what he was doing, and it was working, Nathan felt so much better for seeing Chase this way. Blood was pouring from his noise, his cheeks and jaw looked red and swollen, but Nathan was nowhere near finished yet.

"Nathan!" Haley screeched this time, knowing that he would have no choice but to acknowledge that, there was no way he could pretend that he hadn't heard her this time.

Nathan turned around briefly and saw Haley standing behind him, dressed in his shirt. "Haley, go inside." He demanded before turning back around and started punching Chase again.

When Nathan had turned around, Haley saw that it was Chase who Nathan was punching. Haley was confused at what he was doing here, and couldn't help her own anger that swept through her. She couldn't believe that he was here; she didn't know what on Earth he was thinking turning up like this in the middle of the night. She caught a brief glimpse at his face and saw how bruised it looked already, and decided that Nathan had done enough. She walked up behind Nathan and carefully, avoiding his elbows that shot back towards her each time he raised his fist to punch him again, grabbed his waist, pulling him back with as much strength as he could find.

Nathan felt himself being pulled away from Chase and knew that it was Haley. He didn't want to hurt her and so he reluctantly let her pull him away from Chase. He turned to look at her and saw a whole mix of emotions coming from her eyes.

Haley looked at Nathan and could see the pure fury that was raging inside of him. She looked at Chase briefly, and saw that Nathan had done more than enough, he looked so battered and bruised, not that Haley didn't think he deserved it, she just thought enough was enough. She started to run her hands up and down Nathan's arms, trying to calm him down a little, which was hard given how angry she was herself. "Nathan, please go inside, I need to deal with this myself, okay?" She asked, hoping that he would do as she said.

Nathan could see from Haley's eyes that she really wanted to talk to Chase and he knew that he had to let her do this, but there was no way he was going to leave her alone with him. "I'll go over here," Nathan said as he pointed in the general direction of the front door, "but I am not leaving you alone with him." Nathan said in a low, stern voice.

Haley nodded, she knew it was better than nothing, and she felt safer knowing that Nathan was right behind her anyway, just in case things started to get a little out of hand. She gave Nathan a quick kiss on the cheek to show her appreciation that he had stopped and was listening to her, and watched as he walked away from her. Haley took a deep breath and turned around so she was facing Chase, who was holding a hand up to his cheek, trying to inspect the damage that Nathan had caused him. She took two steps forward so she was close enough to hopefully be intimidating, not that Haley thought for a second that after having Nathan in front of him that it was going to have its desired effect, but nonetheless, it made her feel stronger somehow, and she also stood far enough away so that Chase couldn't touch her if he reached out. It was the perfect distance. She placed a hand on her hip, hoping her stance would make him really listen to her, and provide some much needed answers. She couldn't control her breathing though, her heart was racing, and all she could think about was how much of a complete asshole he was. "What the hell are you doing here Chase?" Haley shouted at him, surprised at the volume of her own voice and the anger that was so evident in the tone.

Chase looked up to meet Haley's stare and could see how angry she was from that one look. "I'm sorry Haley." Was all he could think to say. It hurt when he opened his mouth too, thanks to the hundred and one punches Nathan had given him.

Haley couldn't help but scoff, how he could just say he was sorry and expect to be forgiven after what he had done, forcing himself on her, sending her roses when he must have known that she was with Nathan as it was all over the papers, and then to turn up at her house in the middle of the night, it was absolutely ludicrous. "What exactly are you sorry about Chase?" Haley shouted back. "Why the fuck would you send me roses? After what you did? And you had to have known that I am seeing Nathan, so why the hell would you turn up at my house?" Haley asked, needing answers.

Chase didn't say anything, he didn't know which of her questions he should answer first, but before he could even think about an answer, Haley started shouting at him again.

"I can't believe you would even think that sending me roses would mean that I would be able to forgive you after what you did to me." Haley screeched. "You are a dirty asshole and I do not want you to ever come anywhere near me again. Do you hear me?" Haley finished as she looked at Chase, waiting for him to nod his head to confirm his understanding of what she had just said. She decided she didn't want to know the twisted workings of his mind, it wasn't worth it.

Chase knew that he was running out of time and so he decided to speak now. "You can't be happy with Nathan, Haley." He said in a matter of fact tone.

Haley rolled her eyes at him and then glared right back at him. She'd heard enough. "Well Chase, just so you know, I am incredibly happy with Nathan. So you can go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and stay there."

"Peyton doesn't think you're happy." Chase said as he looked up, waiting to see what Haley's reaction would be to that.

Nathan had been standing behind Haley, watching her talk, or rather shout at Chase, and although he just wanted to jump right in and start punching him again, he knew that Haley needed to get all this out of her system just as much as he did. So he had stayed back, let her get some of her frustrations out, but at the mention of Peyton's name, he found himself right back at her side again, placing a hand around her waist, hoping that it would help somehow.

Haley sensed Nathan beside her and then felt his arm wrap securely around her waist. She was confused, she knew that Peyton had set her and Chase up at the start, but she didn't know what Peyton had to do with Chase being here now, why he had brought her up? She felt better, having Nathan by her side, but she still couldn't help the shakiness at her voice, praying that Chase wasn't going to confirm her suspicions, praying that they were just her overactive imagination, and not reality. "What has Peyton got to do with this?" Haley asked, and even she could hear the concern and fear in her voice.

Chase didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what he should say. He knew he shouldn't have blurted that out, but he couldn't help himself. He rubbed his hands together, hoping somehow that inspiration would strike at any moment, that he could make something feasible up on the spot, but his head was pounding from all the punches he had taken, and he knew there was no way he was going to be able to come up with anything that remotely made sense. He was going to have to tell the truth. He took a deep breath and looked at the floor. "Peyton called me a couple of nights ago and asked me to send you some flowers. She said that you weren't happy with Nathan and that she thought you and me made a good couple, and that I should try to go out with you again, that I should come to see you and talk." Chase confessed.

Haley didn't know what to think. She knew that Peyton didn't like Nathan at all, but she had no idea that she would stoop to such low, spiteful methods to effectively try to break her and Nathan up. She had to know how happy she was with Nathan, surely the whole world could see that, so why would she do it? Haley couldn't breathe anymore, she felt like her whole oxygen supply had been sucked right out of her. The tears were forming in her eyes, tears of betrayal and pain that her best friend could even think of such a plan, let alone begin to execute it.

Nathan could feel Haley's whole body tense up as Chase began to talk, and he knew that she wouldn't be able to say anything else, so he decided to speak up for her. "Chase, fuck off. You're scheming didn't work so stay the hell out of our lives." Nathan's tone was so casual, he couldn't be bothered with that idiot anymore, and all he needed to do was make sure that Haley was alright. He turned away from Chase and pulled Haley in close to him, wrapping both of his arms around her back, hoping that he was helping.

Chase watched the whole exchange and could see how much they cared for each other. He turned around and walked away, leaving them alone, knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to come between them, it was like fighting a losing battle, and he didn't have the strength anymore.

Haley still couldn't think or feel anything. She knew that she was now wrapped up in Nathan's arms, and she knew that she didn't want to be anywhere else, but she was in shock, she had no idea that Peyton could be so malicious.

Nathan held Haley close to him and brought one hand up and ran it softly through her hair. He didn't know what to say to Haley. He just needed her to talk to him, to let him know if there was anything he could do to help her. He pulled away from her and held his hands on her arms just below her shoulders and bend down so that his eyes were level with hers. "Hales, are you okay?" He asked.

Haley looked right into Nathan's eyes and could see the worry and concern he held for her, she could hear it in his voice. She wasn't okay, she knew that and she knew that he did too, that was why he was asking her. She closed her eyes for a brief second, hoping that when she opened them that this would all be a dream. She still couldn't wrap her head around what Peyton had done to her. She didn't know what to do with all the information now she knew what she had done. Was she supposed to act like nothing had happened and carry on as normal? She didn't think she could do that. She knew that she was going to have to confront Peyton, there was no way that she could just let this one slide, she had crossed the line, meddling with her relationship, trying to break her relationship up by bringing in another man was too much. Haley shook her head at Nathan, letting him know that no, she wasn't okay.

"Hales..." Nathan said softly as he brought her in close again. This time he felt her tears drop down her face, he felt his chest get wet from them. He hated seeing Haley cry. He also hated Peyton, more than any words could possibly describe, but he knew that despite his feelings towards her, she was one of Haley's best friends, and this was up to Haley to deal with how she chose. However much he wanted to go and give her a piece of his mind, it was Haley's call and no one else's.

Haley sniffed as she tried to stop herself from crying anymore, but it was useless. She pulled away from Nathan and wiped her eyes with her hands. "Why did she do that?" She asked Nathan softly. She couldn't think of what could drive someone to do that to their best friend. It wasn't right, not at all. She was hoping that Nathan could shed some light on this, for all Haley could see was a mishmash of ideas, nothing was clear, nothing was making sense at all.

"I have no idea baby, I'm sorry." Nathan said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. He knew exactly what she was doing, she was trying to provide some sort of reasoning for Peyton's actions, but as far as Nathan was aware, there were none. He had no idea what was running though Peyton's mind when she thought up this crazy idea. "What are you going to do about it though?" Nathan asked, wanting to know if Haley needed anything from him.

Haley frowned. She had no idea what she was going to do about this, no idea at all. She knew she needed to speak with Peyton, hopefully calmly; hopefully she would be able to get some answers out of Peyton as to what possessed her to do this. "I guess I need to talk to her tomorrow." Haley shrugged, unsure of what else she should do.

"Do you want me to speak to her?" Nathan offered, he had plenty that he wanted to say to the bitch that was for sure.

"No thanks, this is something I need to do." Haley said with a small smile.

Nathan leant in and kissed the corner of her mouth lightly. "If you want me to go with you, then just say baby okay?" Nathan offered.

"Thank you." Haley said quietly as she wrapped herself around Nathan, wanting to feel safe, wanting to forget about what she was going to hear tomorrow, what she was going to have to do, and hoped that she was going to find some answers.

~*~

The next morning, Haley found herself in the studio, but it was completely pointless, she was wasting everyone's time as she couldn't concentrate, her voice was nowhere near where it should have been. She wasn't feeling any of the songs she had written and everything they recorded was turning out horrible and way behind par. All she could think about was her impending conversation with Peyton, what she was going to say, what she was going to hear. Was she going to get the full story, or was Peyton going to twist everything around?

"Haley, come on!" The producer said to her when she was caught in yet another daydream.

"I'm so sorry guys." Haley sighed. It was useless them all being here. "Why don't we just call it a day there, I have some things on my mind that I need to sort out but tomorrow I promise I'll be here, brain and all."

"Okay, if that's what you want Haley." The producer said, pleased that she wasn't going to waste anymore of his time.

Haley nodded and placed the earphones back on the stand and walked out of the building and headed to Peyton's office. She needed to get this done sooner rather than later. The conspiracy theories that were running through her head were literally driving her insane and so, for her own sanity, she was going to deal with this now.

~*~

Haley found herself outside Peyton's office, the door was closed but she took a deep breath and didn't even bother knocking. She wasn't here to be polite; she was here to get some answers. She walked into the office and found Peyton standing up over her desk sorting through some of the papers she had on the table, obviously looking for something. Haley watched as she lifted her head to see who had just walked into her office.

"Hey Haley!" Peyton said cheerfully. "What brings you here?" Peyton asked, the tone of her voice changing once she caught the evil glare that Haley was throwing her way. She stopped was she was doing and sat down slowly in her chair, praying that Haley hadn't found out somehow that she was connected to Chase coming back on the scene.

Haley continued to glare at Peyton; she didn't want to start talking yet. She didn't know what to say without blurting out the whole thing in one big ramble, which was exactly Haley's style, but she didn't want to do that today, she wanted to be more calm and collected, she wanted Peyton to realise how far across the line she had stepped. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Haley asked when she had calmed down enough to speak. Her heart was still racing in her chest though, and she wouldn't be surprised if Peyton could hear it from across the desk.

Peyton gulped. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know if Haley knew or not. She decided to pretend that she didn't know what Haley was talking about; it seemed like the safest option at the moment. "I have no idea what you're talking about Haley!" Peyton said, laughing a little nervously as she spoke, hoping that it wouldn't give her away.

"Don't play dumb with me Peyton; you know exactly what I'm talking about." Haley snapped. She didn't want to be playing games with Peyton. She just wanted her to admit what she had done and then get some answers.

Peyton shrugged. She didn't want to admit the truth, not when she wasn't one hundred percent sure that Haley knew, although from the way Haley was glaring and snapping at her, she was ninety nine percent sure that she did know.

Haley sighed angrily. It was obvious that Peyton wasn't going to outright admit to this. "You're little arrangement with Chase?" Ring any bells?" Haley shouted.

Peyton gulped again. She knew this was coming, in fact, she had know it since Haley had walked in the door of her office five minutes ago, but she didn't want her to find out, and she had no idea how she had found out either. She decided to stay quiet though, she had no idea what to say anyway.

Haley waited for Peyton to acknowledge that she knew what she was going on about. After another minute of complete silence, Haley knew that she wasn't going to say anything, and that was making her even angrier than she already was. "Well come on Peyton, at least have the fucking decency to admit to your bitchy scheming!" Haley shouted.

Peyton sighed; she knew she couldn't be quiet anymore. "Haley... listen to me." Peyton started.

Haley decided she'd had enough; she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to listen to Peyton, not if she was going to start to try to reason her action, because as far as Haley was concerned there was no way anyone could justify doing what she had done, all she wanted was an apology and for Peyton to accept that she was seeing Nathan and that wasn't going to change, not anytime soon, and certainly not by someone trying to break them up. "No, Peyton, you listen to me. I want you to apologise to me and to Nathan. I can't believe that you would try to use Chase Adams to come between me and Nathan." Haley said sternly.

"I can't apologise Haley." Peyton said. There was no way she was going to apologise to Nathan, no way, not when they were so wrong for each other, not when this was all going to end so badly.

Haley stood up. She couldn't be here any longer, she had given Peyton her chance and she hadn't taken it. "Well then, you'd better get used to e-mail Peyton, because I will not speak or see you until you have apologised. What you did was completely unforgivable, so you should be thanking you're lucky stars that I am even giving you this chance to do the right thing." Haley shook her head in disgust one last time and then walked out of the office, expecting Peyton to call her back in and apologise for what she did, but that apology never came...

**AN – Okay guys... Once again I apologise for how long it took me to update! But I hope you liked that chapter. I think most of you will be pleased to know that that is the last we are going to see of Chase I think... **

**This chapter was kind of about getting some closure on the whole Chase drama and so the next couple of chapters will probably bring along some fluff... a bit of drama... and then eventually a whole heap of drama!**

**Let me know what you thought of that chapter by dropping me a review! I'll try to get the next chapter written up soon (especially if this jet lag continues!)! x**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter! As expected I knew you would all be pleased to see the back of Chase and also see Nathan kick his ass! I know most of you wanted me to fire Peyton but there is a reason for me not having Haley fire her... and Shelley – you kind of guessed right – in that I need Peyton further on in the story, so I couldn't just cut her out of it, like I have done with Chase! I think you guys are going to be a little surprised at what happens in this chapter and the next as I think a lot of you won't have expected it so soon, especially given the hints of some upcoming drama which I have mentioned in previous AN's (and the person who I assume most of you think will be involved in that drama). Sorry for being a bit cryptic but I hope this makes sense once you get to the end of the chapter (or maybe it will all make sense at the end of the next chapter – depending on where seems like a good place to stop this one!)!**

**So I got back from Dallas... I had a lot of fun and spent so much money... oops! But never mind – I also have started my new job now... it's really good actually and the people there are so nice so that always helps! And also the traffic in the mornings has been kind to me so far... although I'm not too sure how much longer that will last but we'll see! I do want to apologise for how long it has taken me to update... usually I am so much better than making you guys wait but I'm kind of adjusting to the new job at the moment and would rather take my time and post a good chapter than rush and post a load of rubbish! So I hope you all understand – and I'm sorry!**

**And with that ramble over, here is the next chapter! X**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Two weeks had passed since Haley had walked into Peyton's office, and Haley still couldn't get that conversation out of her head. She sighed heavily to herself, rerunning the words that she had spoken to Peyton in her mind, and then picturing herself waiting for that apology from her that never came, and as she stretched her arm out to grab her phone from the bedside table to see if she had a message from Peyton, she was disappointed again to find that it still hadn't come. Haley knew she had to do what she had done; she had to cut Peyton out of her life until she accepted the situation that she was in and the decisions she had made, she couldn't carry on with Peyton trying to meddle in her relationship with Nathan, and she knew that, but there was a part of her that missed her best friend. She lifted her head up and then threw her head back further into her pillow and tried to close her eyes and get some sleep, even though it was already morning. She hadn't slept much at all last night, and given that tonight was her elaborately planned birthday party, courtesy of Brooke, she knew she needed as much sleep as she could get, which made not being able to sleep all the more frustrating.

Nathan opened his eyes slowly. He had been listening to Haley huff and puff for the past three hours. He found himself getting increasingly annoyed at the situation Haley had herself in. He wasn't angry with her, not at all, he was mad at Peyton for putting Haley in this position. He knew how much Haley missed Peyton, and he also knew that she would never admit that to him. The past two weeks had really taken their toll on Haley, he had noticed how little she had slept, and every morning he knew that she was laying there just thinking about the whole thing, running conversations through her head, trying to think of ways she could fix it if she wanted to, even though she knew that the ball was in Peyton's court and she had done everything she could to help the situation. And just like this morning, Nathan would be woken up at all hours by Haley's constant sighing, and also by the fact that she was thinking so loudly, it almost hurt his head, so he couldn't fathom what all this thinking was doing to hers. Once his eyes were fully opened and he had adjusted to the light of the morning, he leaned himself up on his elbow and reached out to Haley, gently pushing some of her hair from her face, placing it securely behind her ear and then he leant down and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"I'm sorry Nathan." Haley sighed as she opened up her eyes, finding him looking at her with concern pouring from his gaze.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Hales. I'm just worried about you." Nathan responded as he continued to stroke her hair gently with his hand.

"I'm fine, honestly." Haley gave Nathan a small smile, which she hoped would reassure him. She didn't want to bother him with her problems, they were already driving her crazy, and she didn't need him to worry about them too.

Nathan smiled back at her. He knew exactly what she was trying to do, and it wasn't working at all. It was clear to him how much this was affecting her, and he just wanted to help her, although he didn't know how to. He wasn't sure if this was something he should get involved in, or should he leave it to Haley to sort out as she wished? He was worried about what would happen if Haley and Peyton never sorted this out though. Peyton was Haley's best friend, and Haley needed her, Nathan knew that and he knew that she knew it too. He just hoped they could sort this out soon. "Haley if there's something I can do..." Nathan started but he was interrupted by Haley's index finger landing on his lip, silencing him.

"Baby, trust me, just by being here with me is helping me. And besides, I don't want you to get involved in all this mess. I just need to figure out what I want to do next. But to be honest, thinking about it all is driving me crazy, I just want to forget about it for a while." Haley said with yet another sigh.

Nathan kissed Haley's finger that was still placed at his lips, and then reached up to move it away from his mouth with his hand, entwining his fingers with hers and resting them on the bed next to them both, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he looked down at his beautiful girlfriend. Well he did want to help her, and after what she had just told him, his mind had started ticking. "I'm sure I can help take your mind off it." Nathan said huskily with a smirk spread across his face as he leant down and captured Haley's lips in a soft kiss, before pulling away and smiling down at her from his position above her, his gaze wandering down her body. It was summer and so they were currently sleeping with just a sheet over them, and Nathan could see her black satin chemise through the white sheet that lay on top of them, the chemise looked phenomenal on Haley, hugging at her sensuous curves in all the right places, which made his hands want to be all over her in an instant.

Haley smiled back, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at how cocky he was, but she loved that about him. "I'm sure you can." Haley whispered back as a sexy grin spread over her face as she untangled her hand from Nathan's, bringing it up and wrapping it around his neck, pushing his head back down towards hers, capturing his lips in a kiss full of need, wanting to taste him. That smirk always did it for her, it was like a secret weapon that he could use whenever he wanted. It wouldn't matter where they were, who they were with, that smirk could literally make Haley do whatever he pleased, and she knew that he knew that too, the Scott smirk held all power over her and he used it to his advantage far too often, but it wasn't like Haley was going to complain, not when she knew what was about to follow whenever it was flashed at her, it literally gave her butterflies.

Nathan ran his hand slowly down Haley's side, taking in the gorgeous curves of her body, his hand running down past her breasts, around the curve of her waist and over her hips, then travelling down her incredibly sexy legs over her chemise until he was touching the bare skin of her leg where the chemise ended, as his tongue ran over her lips, begging for entry into her delicious mouth. He could literally kiss Haley every single second of every single day, in fact, if he could, he would spend the rest of their lives like this, for there was no better feeling for Nathan than tasting all of Haley.

Haley couldn't help moaning when she felt Nathan's hand running at such a torturous pace down her body, and then when his tongue ran over her lips, her mouth opened on its own accord without her even having to think about it, it was just such a natural action for her now, and how could she ever deny Nathan anything he wanted from her, he was far too irresistible.

Nathan felt his tongue connect with Haley's and his hand that was running down her body shot back up to her back, so that he could snake it around her and pull her up closer to him, his other hand tangling in her hair, pulling her face up towards him, the need for her to be as close to him as possible taking over. His soon lowered Haley's body back down onto the mattress, bringing his own body down on top of her carefully as she fell back towards the bed. The kiss increased in intensity as soon as his body was laying right against hers, a sudden urgency for each other taking over, and the feel of Haley's hands wandering down his back to the hem of his t-shirt, then slipping underneath it, coupled with the scratching of her fingernails over the skin on his back caused a low, husky groan to escape from Nathan's mouth as he pulled away, needing to catch some much needed breath, but finding himself unable to keep his lips from her, finding his lips connecting back on her face, peppering kisses along her cheek, her jaw, before dipping down to start kissing her neck.

Haley leant her neck back allowing Nathan all the access he needed to start his ministrations on her neck. She loved the feel of his lips on any part of her skin, and as she felt his teeth sink into her neck, a low, sexy groan escaped from her lips. Haley was sure that there was no better feeling in the world than this. Her fingernails were still scratching along his back, and as she felt his mouth move hot and wet over her skin, she lifted his t-shirt further up his body, tugging on the material, letting him know that she wanted the offending item off his body right this instant.

Nathan pulled away from Haley's neck and grabbed his t-shirt and peeled it off his body, throwing it to the floor, before leaning back down towards Haley, his hand cupping the side of his face as his lips landed on her again. As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt Haley's tongue force its way into his mouth, tangling with his own. He moved both of his hands down to Haley's hips and gripped her there, before rolling over so that she was now on top of him, straddling his waist.

Haley pulled her mouth away from Nathan's lips and started leaving feather light kisses along the side of his face and down his jaw, heading for his neck. When she reached his pulse point, she let her tongue escape between her lips and started swirling it around, while her hips were grinding into Nathan's hard cock, which she could feel through the material of his boxers, her hands wandering all over his incredibly toned body, taking in all his sexy muscles. Nathan's hands were still on her hips, and as she sucked harshly on the skin around his pulse point, she felt his fingers dig further into her sides, when they moved down the front of her thighs until he was touching her bare skin.

Nathan loved the feel of her smooth skin. He moaned as Haley's tongue got to serious work on his neck and as he felt her hips grind down hard into him, the longing to feel her was getting far too much for him to take. He moved his hand back up Haley's thigh slowly, moving under the black satin material of her chemise, lifting it up as his hand snaked underneath it. He felt Haley lift herself off him so he could access the area that was calling out to him. He let one of his hands move around to the back of her ass and cupped one of her cheeks, as the other hand moved over her panties. He pressed his middle finger down hard into her slit which was dripping wet, he could feel her juices coating his fingers as they ran through her panties, and then he moved his finger up along the material until he found her clit, and started to rub his finger over it through her panties in circles, releasing the pressure a little so his touch was much lighter.

"Nathan!" Haley moaned against his neck, the feel of his finger against her clit was making her even wetter for him. She moved her mouth back up towards his, and as she connected her lips with his, she felt Nathan kiss her roughly, with such power and dominance that it turned her on even more, if that was at all possible. Her hands moved down his sides, to the waistband of her boxers. Her body was hovering above his so she was able to slip her hand inside of his boxers and move towards his hard cock. When she felt her fingers connect with it, she took it in her hands and wrapped them around it, before moving her hands up and down the length of his shaft.

"Fuck Haley!" Nathan cried out as he pulled away from her lips the moment she started increasing the pace of her hand, while his own increased the pace of his on her clit. He relaxed his head back into the pillow and looked up to find Haley gazing at him with eyes full of lust. His gaze wandered down her beautiful neck, towards her breasts which were still covered by the chemise. He groaned when he realised that she still had it on, and quickly moved his hand away from her clit, gathering the chemise with both hands and pulling it quickly over her head, causing Haley's hand to disconnect with his cock.

As soon as Nathan had thrown the chemise onto the floor, his hands were at Haley's hips again, and she let out a squeal when he threw her down on the bed and moved quickly on top of her. His mouth moved quickly from her cheek, to her neck, to her collar bone, before eventually moving down towards her breasts. Once he had reached her left breast, he started to swirl his tongue around her nipple, which caused it to harden instantly, before taking her breast in his mouth and biting down lightly on her now hardened nipple, as his hand came up from her side to give some attention to her right nipple, squeezing and tugging on it gently.

Haley couldn't stop the constant moaning from her mouth, and the throbbing between her legs was getting faster and stronger with each second that passed. She felt Nathan's mouth release from her breast and move down her body, leaving hot, wet kisses on her stomach, which caused her to gasp a little at how his actions tickled her slightly. His mouth moved even further down her body, until he was kissing her through her panties. She prayed that he would move even further down her, and when she felt his mouth touch her clit she instantly bucked her hips towards his mouth, wanting to leave no doubt in his mind at what she wanted, a loud cry of pleasure escaping from her lips. She looked down at him when she didn't feel him kiss her again; feeling slightly frustrated that he seemed to have stopped, and saw that he was looking up at her, that incredibly sexy smirk evident across his gorgeous face.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mmmm." Haley said sexily, hoping her moaning would encourage him to continue. All her worries about Peyton had long been forgotten, and all she was thinking about now was the craving of needing Nathan's tongue on her clit, no other thought would have been able to even flash in her mind in that moment.

"Good." Nathan responded as he leant in and kissed her clit one more time, before reaching up for the rim of her sexy, black panties, and began to peel them off her body. He could smell how turned on she was as his face moved closer towards her, she smelt absolutely fucking delicious, her scent was driving him wild. He moved her panties all the way down her legs, before throwing them on the floor, joining her chemise and his t-shirt, and then licked his way back up her leg, along the inside of her thigh, before laying down in front of her and extending his tongue so that it landed right in the middle of her folds.

He ran his tongue up her folds, already being able to taste some of her juices, and just before he was about to get to her clit, he ran his tongue back down again, repeating the action several times, trying to lap up as much of her as he could. He could feel Haley begin to get frustrated with him, but he didn't care, he wanted to get as much of her as he could get. Once his hunger for her taste had been satisfied, he then moved his tongue back up her folds, and then found her clit. He closed his mouth around it and sucked lightly on it, before extending his tongue back out of his mouth and running it over her.

"Oh fuck!" Haley cried out when she felt Nathan's tongue move over her clit again and again. She extended her hands out along the side of the bed and gripped onto the sheet, needing to hold onto something to relieve some of the tension she had building up deep inside of her. He was an absolute master with his tongue, he seemed to know exactly what to do and all Haley could do was lie back and enjoy the fucking amazing ride.

Nathan wanted to taste more of Haley, what he was getting so far wasn't enough for him, so he reached up with his hands and gripped onto her waist, snaking his arms around her, pushing her up so she was now sitting up. He turned himself over so he was now lying on his back and guided Haley so that she was sitting on top of his mouth. Once he was satisfied that she was in the perfect position for him, he pushed her down onto his mouth and plunged his tongue inside of her, as far as he could get it to go.

Haley was moaning so loudly as his tongue continued to plunge in and out of her, she was sure the whole of New York could hear her, but she didn't care. Pleasure on a scale like this should be illegal. She felt Nathan's tongue move up her folds and also felt his fingers that gripped onto her waist push her closer to him once his tongue found her clit again, increasing the pressure on it. Haley leant forward and rested her hands on either side of his waist, needing to lean against something before she crumbled.

"Jesus Hales, you taste so fucking good." Nathan said as he sucked down hard on her clit, eliciting an even louder groan from Haley. He smiled against her; it felt absolutely amazing when he got her like this, hearing her scream and moan was just so good. His cock was as hard as it had ever been, and the desire and longing to be inside of her was growing stronger by the second, but he was enjoying the taste of her far too much to stop just yet, however, it seemed that Haley had different ideas.

"Fuck!" Haley cried out again as Nathan's tongue swept over her clit again. She knew she was so close to coming, but she wanted Nathan to be inside of her when she did. "Nathan, I need you inside of me now!" Haley demanded although her voice was breathless from all the moaning she had been doing.

Nathan instantly stopped what he was doing. With a demand as fucking good as that, how could he ever say no? He relaxed his grip on her waist and as soon as he had let go, he felt Haley crawl down his body so she was straddling his waist now. She practically ripped his boxers from his body and got threw them on the floor once she had got them off him, and then she grabbed a hold of his rock hard cock and directed it towards her entrance, plunging down on it. As he entered her, Nathan couldn't help the cry of relief at being inside of her again escape from his lips.

Haley started working up a steady rhythm, and once she was happy with the speed, she leant herself down towards his feet, resting her hands on either side of his legs, rocking her body back and forth as she felt him enter and retract from her, smiling at feeling so connected to him again.

Nathan couldn't keep his gaze from her ass which was facing him, she looked so fucking hot from behind, pumping up and down on his cock, and it was such a sexy sight which turned him on even more. He reached up and grabbed a hold of her cheeks, before sitting himself up on the bed and pulling her up the bed with him so he could lean against the headboard, snaking one hand around her front to play with her clit, only to be surprised when he found that her hand was already there. "Fuck Haley!" Nathan cried out, a little stunned at Haley's actions, but feeling his orgasm even closer than it was before now that he knew what she was doing to herself.

Haley continued rubbing her clit with her hand, trying to increase the speed but finding that she was already going as fast as she could. She felt one of Nathan's hands reach around and grad a hold of her breast, tugging and squeezing her nipple before pressing his hand against her and running it around in circles, her nipple protruding into his hand as he did so. She could feel the orgasm begin to build from within her. She clenched her muscles around Nathan's cock as he entered her again, and heard a low groan come from him, and so she repeated the action each time she rocked back towards him, hoping that he was close too.

The feel of Haley tightening her muscles around his length was so fucking amazing, Nathan didn't know how he stopped himself from coming then and there. His hand was still playing with her nipple, and when he felt heard her breathing increase and then when he heard her gasp his name over and over again, he knew she was close.

Haley could feel the waves of pleasure moving quickly towards her. She rocked back onto Nathan one more time and then let go as the pleasure rolled over her. She closed her eyes and screamed his name as her muscles started to contract with each wave that ran through her body, when she felt Nathan spill his load deep inside of her, her name dripping from his mouth as he came inside of her.

Nathan held onto her tightly until he felt her orgasm slow down, her breathing slowing down ever so slightly from the frantic pace he had heard when her orgasm had first hit her. He leant over to her and left soft kisses over her back as they both fought to calm their heart rates down.

Once Haley's breathing had returned to a near normal state, she lifted herself off Nathan and flopped down on the bed next to him, absolutely exhausted. "Wow." Haley said as she closed her eyes, her body still tingling from the orgasm.

"Mmmm." Nathan said as he leaned over her and kissed her stomach, before laying back and leaning his head next to hers, his fingers dragging softly along her skin.

Haley lay there in complete silence next to him. Her mind was slowly returning to normal and soon the thoughts of Peyton crept their way back into her mind. She was mentally kicking herself for letting them come back so soon after something amazing as the sex that they had just had, but she couldn't help it. She let out a long sigh as she reached over and ran her fingers through Nathan's hair, trying to distract herself, although she knew her attempts were futile, she had to try.

Nathan heard her sigh the familiar sigh that she had been doing for the past two weeks and instantly worried again. He knew he needed to do something about the situation, and given that Haley and Peyton had had two weeks to sort this out already, and also as it was Haley's party tonight, he decided that he was going to take matters in his own hands. He knew deep down that Haley really wanted Peyton to be at her birthday party, so he was going to have to sort this mess out today, for walking into the lion's den was worth it if it meant that Haley would stop worrying about it, but he wanted to make sure that was what she wanted, just one more time. "Hales... I know what you're thinking about." Nathan said knowingly.

Haley looked over at him apprehensively. "I'm sorry; I just can't seem to not think about it."

"Haley please talk to me." Nathan pleaded with her, gazing deeply into her eyes, letting her know that he was here for her.

"Nathan I don't know what to say. I don't even understand it to be honest. I just wish that all this could be put behind us." Haley muttered as she continued to play with his hair.

Nathan knew exactly what he needed to do. He wanted to see Haley happy again, and he was going to make sure that this time, Peyton listened, make sure that Peyton knew everything, and most importantly get to the bottom of why she seemed to hate him so much.

~*~

Nathan was getting that same feeling he had had the last time he had walked these corridors. His palms were sweating and his heart was racing, but the thought of Haley being her normal, happy self was what was forcing him to make his feet step forward every second, instead of allowing them to do what they wanted, which was to turn around and bolt back to the safety of the lift, which would allow him to walk out of her lair alive. Lord knows what kind of state he was going to be in once she had finished with him.

He rounded the corner and could see already that her door was open. He heard her voice, she was shouting on the phone about something or another, and so he stood around the corner until he was sure that she had finished her conversation. He didn't want to rattle the beast by interrupting her phone call, he needed her to be as calm as she could be, and aggravating her would not help his situation at all.

"Well you can just go and fuck yourself then!" Nathan heard her scream down the phone at someone. So much for catching her in a good mood then, Nathan winced to himself. That was just fucking great. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, knowing that he couldn't turn around, not now that he had managed to get this far. He rounded the corner and saw Peyton's door was still open, finding her sitting at her desk with her head in her hands, which was not exactly the best of postures, he could feel how pissed off she was from where he was standing outside her office. He decided against knocking and instead walked into his office, putting on a very false bravado as he sunk into one of the chairs that faced her desk, the noise startling her a little as he watched her face rise up from where she held it with her hands, a look of disgust and irritation flashing through her Devil eyes as she found him sitting in front of her. Nathan sucked in a sharp breath before allowing himself to speak, hoping that his voice sounded confident. "Hello Peyton." He added what he hoped would be a calming smile but the hatred he held for this woman turned his smile into anything but welcoming.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Peyton shouted. She was already having the day from hell, and having Nathan Scott turn up in her office was certainly not going to make her day any better.

Nathan smiled sarcastically at how welcoming she was being, but then again, he hadn't really expected anything less from her if he was honest with himself. He decided to get straight to the point; after all, what was the point in wasting your efforts being polite with someone who already hated your guts? "I'm here for Haley." He said as calmly as he could manage. Nathan was not the sort of person who allowed people to shout at him, his temper was short but he knew he was going to have to keep it in check while he was in this office, as it would only make things worse if it got out of hand.

Peyton gazed at Nathan, trying to suss him out. Haley had made it very clear that she didn't want anything to do with her unless she was willing to accept the fact that she was with Nathan, which Peyton knew she couldn't do, so she really didn't understand what Nathan was doing here, and also wondered if Haley had sent him?

Nathan watched Peyton eye him suspiciously but she wasn't talking. He took a deep breath, wanting to get this all out in the open as quickly as possible so he could leave very soon. He was so nervous sitting in front of her, which wasn't like him at all. "Look Peyton, I know you don't like me..." Nathan started, only to be interrupted by an extremely loud scoff from Peyton, which caused his eyes to narrow at her, before choosing to ignore the sound that had just come from her and continue with what he was saying. "But Haley is your best friend and I don't want to get in the way of that. Haley really misses you being her friend, and I'm hoping that you can find some way to accept that we are together so that she doesn't have to lose you as a friend, which I know is the last thing that she wants to happen."

Peyton listened to what Nathan was saying to her and couldn't help but feel the same way. She did miss Haley, and she knew that to be her friend she was going to have to accept Nathan, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. "Nathan, you have to know that you are no good for her." Peyton said quietly, almost pleading with him.

Nathan was a little shocked that she had come out and said that so directly to him. "How do you know that?" Nathan questioned, wanting to understand where her hatred for him stemmed from.

"I just do." Peyton sighed.

Nathan couldn't help but scoff at her poor response. "So you think that Chase Adams is the kind of guy Haley should be dating?" Nathan said bitterly.

"He's much better for her than you will ever be!" Peyton shouted back, not liking the tone that Nathan was taking with her.

Nathan couldn't help the grin that came across his face; he was really going to enjoy laying this one on the table, he couldn't wait to see her reaction. "Well your fucking precious Chase Adams forced himself on Haley and she had to call me to get her away from him."

Peyton instantly looked up at him, searching his face for clues, as it couldn't be right, Chase seemed so nice, so perfect for Haley. "You're lying." Peyton said.

Nathan laughed; he found it a little amusing at how much dislike this woman held for him. "I am not lying, in fact, if you need proof we can always ring Haley to confirm it if you want." Nathan said as he reached into his pocked, trying to find his phone.

Peyton looked at him again, trying to decide if he was lying, but the fact that he was willing to call Haley probably meant that he wasn't lying at all. She could feel the guilt rush over her as the realisation of what she had done to Haley dawned on her, setting her up with Chase when Haley hadn't want her to and then scheming with him to get Nathan out of the picture. "Shit." Peyton said quietly to herself.

"So you see Peyton, you're going to have to give me a little bit more of a reason than 'I am no good for her', because it seems that your judgement in men for her is completely off base. So I need to hear a proper reason why you seem to think that I am no good for Haley." Nathan demanded.

Peyton looked down at her lap, and fiddled with her hands that rested together on the desk, knowing that she was going to have to reveal all; even though he was the last person she wanted to tell this to. "You'll break her heart Nathan, and I don't want her to go through that." Peyton said with a shrug.

She was speaking so quietly that Nathan had to strain his ears to hear what she was saying to him, but he got the general idea of what she was saying. "I will never hurt her Peyton; I care about her too much."

"You say that now Nathan, but what about in two, three years time?" Peyton cried out.

Nathan was slightly taken aback by her outburst but knew that he had to keep going, he was finally getting somewhere. "Who knows what's going to happen in the future, but all I know is that she makes me the happiest I have ever been, and I think I make her feel the same way."

Peyton shook her head at him. She knew she needed to explain to him but she couldn't find the words.

Nathan was growing increasingly frustrated with her cryptic answers; he realised that he wasn't getting anywhere at all. "Peyton, please, I'm really trying here and I don't know what else I can say to tell you how much she means to me."

Peyton looked up from where her gaze had been locked in her lap and looked at Nathan, probably for the first time since she had met him, she really looked at him. She took a deep breath before starting to speak. "I've been Haley, Nathan. I used to go out with a football player. I fell madly in love with him. I thought I was his world, I would have done anything he asked me to do, no questions asked. We seemed like we had it all, I was living this fairytale you know, we bought this amazing house together, we made each other happy. Until he left me. I was crushed Nathan, I couldn't do anything for a good solid two months. And I am simply trying to protect Haley from having the same thing done to her by you, be it intentional or otherwise."

Nathan sat back in his chair once Peyton had finished telling him what had happened to her. "When was this?" He asked.

"Before I met Haley." Peyton answered.

Nathan shook his head, unsure of what to think now that he knew Peyton's real reasons for not wanting him to be with Haley and it was obvious from the way Peyton was talking that Haley knew nothing about this. "Look Peyton, I am so sorry that all that crap happened to you, really I am, but you have to understand that I would never do that to Haley and you also have to understand that you can't protect her from every single relationship she goes into because falling in love and getting heartbroken could happen with anyone, be the guy that she falls for famous or not."

Peyton looked at him. She could see that he was being sincere but she didn't know how long that sincerity would last. She didn't know if she could trust what he was saying to her.

Nathan had decided that he had said all he needed to say, and there wasn't really any more to add. He had tried, and Peyton hadn't eaten him alive, which he was more than grateful for. He stood up and started to walk out of her office, turning around just as he reached the door of her office. "Listen, Haley is having a birthday party at my brother's bar in town tonight, and I know she would love it if you would come. So please think about it, you don't have to like me but it would be nice if you could put aside your feelings towards me for Haley's sake." With that, Nathan glanced at her once more, pleading with her almost for Haley, knowing how much it would mean to her if Peyton would come to her party that evening, but not one hundred percent sure that Peyton was going to turn up at all, not really sure whether his visit had made the slightest bit of difference, he just hoped that he had, and then he turned and walked out of her office, leaving Peyton sat in her office, praying that she would be able to do this for the girl he cared about so much.

**AN – Okay guys... I'm going to stop there as it seems like a good place to stop at this point... so the next chapter will be Haley's birthday party, so you will get to see if Peyton turns up in the next chapter. I hope you all liked that update and again I am sorry about how long it took me to get this out! Let me know what you thought by dropping me a review! Thanks! xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter!**

**I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to update – it was my fiancé's birthday this weekend and so we were a little busy celebrating that, and getting him a new car – lucky him! And work has started to get a little crazy so I haven't had much time to myself, but nonetheless, I finally managed to find some time to write the next chapter and post it!**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this update! Do you think Peyton will turn up at the party..? Read on to find out! X**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Haley didn't dare open her eyes for fear that she wouldn't even recognise herself in the mirror if she did. Brooke had been 'working' on her for the past two hours, and that wasn't counting the waxing and hair appointments, plus spa treatments they had been attending all day. Haley was grumpy, and considering that this was her birthday party, she would have thought that she would at least have a say in the makeup she would be wearing, or the way her hair would be styled, or what she was going to be wearing to the damn thing. But every time she had tried to express her opinion, Brooke had told her, kindly at first, to basically shut up, although the last time Haley had opened her mouth to speak, Brooke hadn't even bothered to tell Haley to keep quiet, instead Haley had been greeted with an incredibly icy glare. So she had given up, succumbed to the realisation that she was in fact not Haley James, but for today, she was Brooke Davis' toy doll.

Nathan was standing in the kitchen with Lucas, both of them having a beer each before the party started. He looked down at his watch and then out of the kitchen window when he saw the two black limos pulling into Haley's drive. "Dude, will you go and tell Haley and Brooke that the cars are here?" Nathan threw over his shoulder at his brother as he started to gulp down the remaining beer he had left in his bottle, placing it on the counter top next to himself once it was empty, getting himself ready to leave.

Lucas laughed. "Nate, there is no way I am going to tell Brooke to hurry up. She knows what time the cars were getting here, I'm sure she won't be too long."

Nathan turned around to face Lucas. "Well, she's your girlfriend Luke!" He said, gesturing for Lucas to start moving out of the kitchen so he could start telling the girls that they were leaving.

Lucas didn't move. "Your girlfriend is up there too you know?" Lucas bitched, trying to stand his ground. There was no way he was going to start the evening on the wrong side of Brooke, that would make for a very long evening indeed.

Nathan looked around the kitchen quickly, trying desperately to find an excuse which would get him out of hurrying Brooke up. Brooke shouting back at him before the party had even started would put him in an incredibly bad mood and he wanted to be in a good mood for Haley's sake, it was her birthday party, she deserved to have happy Nathan present with her, not 'I'm pissed off at Brooke' Nathan. His eyes wandered around the kitchen, unfortunately not finding anything that could act as an excuse, so he looked at Lucas who had just taken a swig of his beer. Nathan smiled and turned to pick his beer bottle up off the counter top and then walked over to Lucas and snatched his bottle out of his hands. "Well I have to go and put these bottles in the recycling bin, so while I am doing that, you can get the girls." Nathan said smugly as he walked towards the utility room with the bottles in his hand.

"Hey! I hadn't finished that!" Lucas shouted to his brother's retreating form. He sighed, knowing that getting Brooke and Haley ready to leave in the next two minutes was now his responsibility, which he knew before he had even begun to try was an impossible task. He walked slowly out of the kitchen to the bottom of the stairs, taking a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." He muttered to himself. "Brooke, honey! The cars are here." Lucas called up the stairs in the sweetest voice he could find, not wanting to antagonise Brooke in the slightest.

Haley's eyes flew open when she heard Lucas' voice carry up the stairs. She smiled in relief, hoping that the torture at being Brooke's subject matter for the entire day seemed to now be over. She pushed herself up off the chair she had been sitting in, ready to put on her shoes and make her way downstairs, only to be pushed right back down in her seat by Brooke. Haley looked up at her, confused as to why she wasn't allowing her to move out of the chair, and was about to say something but thought better of it once she caught the menacing look which had spread right across Brooke's face.

"Don't even think about moving Haley until I say I have finished with you." Brooke muttered through gritted teeth, waggling her finger in Haley's face.

"But Luke..." Haley started but was cut off Brooke before she could even think about finishing her sentence.

"But Lucas nothing Haley." Brooke interrupted. "I have not spent my whole day getting you ready for this fabulous party to not be able to finish you off properly, okay? So you can sit back and wait until I say we have finished. Got that?" Brooke said sternly as she continued finishing off Haley's hair.

Haley sat back in the chair, knowing that Brooke would literally kill her if she moved out of the chair one more time.

"Brooke?" Lucas called up the stairs again wondering why she hadn't answered him, a little impatience creeping into his voice this time.

"Lucas, we aren't finished yet!" Brooke snapped loud enough for him to hear that he was pissing her off.

"Okay, but I just wanted to let you know that cars are here sweetheart." Luke called up the stairs again, desperately trying to keep the dread that he had managed to piss her off out of his voice.

"Well they can wait." Brooke bit back down at Lucas as she grabbed the hairspray that was sitting on the dressing table and proceeded to drown Haley in a cloud of the stuff.

Lucas sighed as he walked back into the kitchen feeling defeated, he had known it would have been an impossible task to get Brooke to come down when she hadn't finished, and waited for Nathan to reappear.

Nathan walked back into the kitchen having dropped the beer bottles off in the recycling box in the garden, expecting Lucas to have rounded up both Brooke and Haley in that time, but the girls were nowhere to be seen. "Well, where are they?" He asked as he looked around the kitchen and past Lucas into the hallway, still not seeing either a Brooke or a Haley standing anywhere near them.

"They are not finished yet." Lucas responded, using the words that Brooke had shouted down the stairs just minutes ago. She had sounded mad, and Lucas was now steering clear of her, he didn't want to rattle the beast anymore than was absolutely necessary.

"Well how long are they going to be?" Nathan asked, exasperated that Brooke was going to make them all late for the stupid party that she had organised.

"Your guess is as good as mine Nate." Lucas sighed, knowing Brooke; she could easily take another three hours to get both her and Haley ready if she didn't think that everything was absolutely perfect.

"You mean you didn't even get a time out of her?" Nathan threw back at Lucas. "Jesus Luke! We could be waiting hours if we're not careful!"

"I know!" Lucas said. "If you want, you could go and ask how long they think they are going to be?" Lucas added, wanting to shaft the responsibility onto Nathan so no one could be pissed off at him tonight.

Nathan rolled his eyes at his brother. "Well I guess I am going to have to do it myself given that you are scared of your own girlfriend." Nathan huffed as he made his way across the kitchen so he could walk out into the hallway and get some answers out of Brooke, like why the hell wasn't she ready yet?

"Hey, Brooke can be scary Nathan." Lucas defended himself, moving closer to the door so he could listen to Nathan hopefully receiving the full wrath of Brooke Davis.

"Hey Brooke." Nathan shouted up the stairs. "Would you hurry your ass up so we can actually leave?"

Brooke sighed, getting increasingly frustrated that no one was giving her enough time to do this properly. "I already told Lucas, we are not ready yet." Brooke yelled down the stairs.

"Yeah well no one gives a damn. The cars are here, we have to go now!" Nathan said in a demanding tone.

Brooke let out an incredibly frustrated sigh and slammed the can of hairspray she still had clenched in her hands down on the dressing table. She marched her way out of Haley's bedroom and leaned against the banister so she could make sure that both Nathan and Lucas could clearly hear what she was about to say. "I do not know what the hell went wrong with the Scott gene pool but all of you seem to be really lacking in patience. I told Luke that we weren't ready and that you guys were going to have to wait a bit. So deal with it for fucks sake. Jesus Christ!" Brooke screeched down the stairs.

Nathan stepped away from the stairs and shook his head. It was official, Brooke Davis was a psycho. He turned around and started walking back towards the kitchen, not being brave enough to ask Brooke just how patient he and Luke were going to have to be, when he looked up and saw Lucas laughing very quietly to himself. "What's your problem?" Nathan grumped as he stalked over to the fridge and grabbed himself another beer, well, it seemed they weren't leaving anytime soon anyway so he might as well make the most of it.

Lucas couldn't hold in the laughter anymore and so burst out laughing. "I told you she was scary!" He managed to get out between his giggles.

"Whatever dude, you're the one who gets the pleasure of dealing with that on a daily basis." Nathan bit back at his brother, feeling rather smug that he managed to wipe the grin right off Lucas' face as he took a swig of his beer, not bothering to offer Lucas one.

Brooke walked back into Haley's bedroom, pleased to find Haley still seated exactly where she had left her, quite surprised that she hadn't tried to move. She wandered back over to Haley and grabbed the hairspray off the dressing table, getting ready to spray it all over Haley's hair again. "Stupid boys." She muttered as she raised her head and caught Haley's eye in the mirror, both of them erupting in a fit of giggles at exactly the same time. "A little harsh?" Brooke winced once she had calmed down enough to catch some breath.

"Just a tad Brooke." Haley answered as she continued giggling; only to find herself covered in hairspray that Brooke had just sprayed on her again, and so started coughing as she couldn't breathe.

"Oops, sorry, should have warned you about that!" Brooke said, still fiddling with some of Haley's hair. "Okay, I think you are ready." Brooke said as she placed the hairspray down on the table and jumped up and down, so pleased with her creation, Haley looked absolutely stunning in her opinion. "Okay, put your shoes on and then look in the mirror and tell me what you think." Brooke said as she placed Haley's turquoise high heels next to her feet for her to step into that matched the colour of her dress perfectly.

Haley placed her feet in the shoes and then turned to look into the mirror, absolutely surprised at what she saw. "Oh Brooke, you did amazing! Thank you so much!" Haley gushed as she took in her appearance. She looked very natural and the turquoise dress that Brooke had picked out for her was just perfect.

"Girls!" Lucas called up the stairs, praying that they would come down soon or the party would be over before they even got there.

Brooke sighed. "I guess we should go and put them both out of their misery huh?" Brooke said as she grabbed Haley's hand and led her down the stairs.

~*~

Nathan couldn't keep his eyes off Haley. "Have I told you how amazing you look?" He muttered as his gaze swept down her face to her cleavage which was on display magnificently. He watched the way her breasts rose and fell in time with her breathing, if he had any sense, he knew he would have told her to change into something a little less revealing, or cover herself up somewhat, but he couldn't bring himself to get the words out, she looked far too good to be covered up and when he would just be ripping the dress off her at the end of the night anyway, what was the point in making more work for himself? He was just going to have to make sure that no jerks were staring down at her cleavage throughout the night.

"Yes you have." Haley responded, leaning over to where Nathan was sitting, placing a light kiss on his cheek and then pulling away. "But thank you for saying it again." She smiled at him as she sat back in her seat.

Nathan turned his head again to face Haley and this time he leaned forward, placing his hand on her cheek as he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips, his fingers moving softly over her skin. He moved his hand down to her neck and pulled her towards him, needing to deep the kiss, wanting more from her.

Haley could feel Nathan's tongue sweep across her lips, begging her for entry into her mouth. She pulled away breathlessly, knowing if she didn't stop now, she never would. "Nathan, we can't." She managed to get out in between sharp breaths, slowing opening her eyes.

"Why not?" Nathan muttered with his eyes stilled closed, tightening his grip on her neck ,trying to pull her back to him, only to hear Haley giggle to herself and then he felt her fingers rubbing furiously over his skin. "What are you doing?" Nathan asked, his eyes snapping open at the feel of her fingers rubbing over his cheek.

"You have lipstick all over your cheek and mouth." Haley giggled as she continued rubbing her hand on his face. "Which is exactly the reason why we can't keep on kissing, Brooke would kill me if I turned up with no lipstick left on my lips."

"I'd protect you from Brooke." Nathan mumbled, still trying to pull Haley's lips back to his.

"Nathan." Haley sighed, truthfully she wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless, she would rather spend the entire evening locked in the back of the limo with Nathan rather than go to this birthday party, but she knew she couldn't do that to Brooke. "Brooke has spent so long planning this party and she has been getting me ready for it all day, don't spoil it for her, she was really excited about it."

Nathan sat back in the limo and blew out a long breath. "I know." He returned. "I just can't help myself when I'm around you." He said, turning to Haley and flashing that winning Scott smirk at her.

Haley groaned when she saw the smirk flash across Nathan's face. He knew she couldn't resist that look. Her eyes wandered down his face to his sexy lips and she knew she was going to give in, it would be pointless to try to resist the temptation that was right in front of her, she couldn't help herself when it came to Nathan. She reached out and grabbed his shirt with her hands and pulled him towards her, crashing her lips against his, forcing her tongue into his mouth, unable to wait for Nathan to part his lips for her, the desire proving too much for her to handle.

Nathan moaned when he felt Haley's tongue force its way into his mouth, seeking out his own. His mouth automatically started moving in time with hers, his hands snaking their way around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "What about the lipstick?" He mumbled over his mouth, smirking slightly to himself at how easy it had been for him to change her mind, that smirk really did work wonders, it worked every single time!

Haley could feel his lips morphing into the smirk and heard what he had said, but chose to ignore him. She moved her hands around his neck and climbed onto his lap, straddling him, knowing that that action would shut him up completely. She heard Nathan moan as she ground her hips against his growing hardness, as her lips travelled down his jaw, leaving a hot, wet trail of kisses all the way down his neck. She kissed her way to the side of his neck, feeling Nathan lean in the other direction to give her better access. She found her way to his pulse point and used her tongue to trace a circle around it before placing a wet kiss on top of it. She continued her ministrations on his neck, feeling his hands begin to wander all over her body.

Nathan's hands obviously had a mind of their own. He hadn't even realised that they had moved from around her waist until he felt her ass underneath them. He consciously took control, moving his hands slowly over her tight dress down her thighs until he hit her bare skin and then rode her dress up her body as his hands slid further up her leg until his hands were on her ass. He felt Haley grind down into him, and that combined with what her hands were doing as her fingernails scrapped over the nape of his neck, and the way her mouth working his neck had him so turned on. "Mmm Haley." He moaned as she licked her way around his pulse point again.

Haley started to move her mouth back up towards Nathan's, kissing her way up his neck from his pulse point, along his jaw towards his lips. She had just connected her lips with his when she heard someone cleaning their throat behind her.

"Mr Scott, we're here." The driver of the limo said. "Do you want to leave the car now or should I wait a while?"

Nathan looked out of the blacked out window and saw Lucas' bar in the background. The street was flooded with photographers who, respectfully Nathan supposed, had left a little gangway leading to the door of the bar for guests to walk down. However, Nathan knew the small walk from the car to the bar would be totally manic. "Too bad we can't use the back entrance like usual." Nathan muttered to Haley.

"I know." Haley replied, taking in the chaotic scene waiting outside of the car for both her and Nathan.

Nathan moved his hands from Haley's ass to her waist. "You ready to face the madness?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Haley muttered as she climbed off Nathan's lap and tried to straighten her dress out, pulling it down over her ass and down her legs.

"We're ready now, thanks." Nathan told the driver as he turned his head to look at Haley who was fussing over her appearance. "Hales, you look amazing." Nathan smiled at her as the driver opened the limo door.

As soon as Nathan's foot became visible from the limo, the cameras went absolutely crazy. Nathan held out his hand to help Haley get out of the car. They walked through the clearing left by the photographers slowly, making sure that they all got the pictures they wanted. Nathan held Haley close to him, happy to be able to hold someone as amazing as Haley, wanting the whole world to know that she was with him, that he was the luckiest man on the planet.

Haley walked through the door Nathan held open for her and walked into the bar, taking a deep breath as she did so. Brooke hadn't let on any details about the party, so Haley had no idea what to expect, let alone who had been invited to the thing. She took in the familiar surroundings of the bar, noticing that it had been decorated slightly, enough to be of notice but not so much that the decoration was glaringly obvious, it was just perfect, obviously the theme was turquoise, given the colours of the decoration and the colour of her dress.

Brooke had watched Haley and Nathan make their way into the party. She was watching Haley's face intently, trying to work out if she liked it all or not. Eventually, she got sick of guessing and bounced her way over to where Haley and Nathan were standing. "So, what do you think?" Brooke asked excitedly, eager to hear Haley's thoughts about her creation.

"I love it!" Haley exclaimed as she reached for Brooke and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much for organising this for me." Haley then pulled away from her grasp on Brooke, turning to face Lucas who was standing on the left hand side of Brooke, only to feel a hand force her face back in the direction of Brooke.

"Haley!" Brooke whined as she looked at her lips, which clearly didn't even have a trace of the lipstick she had put on her only a couple of minutes ago. "What happened to your lipstick?"

"Oh... nothing." Haley replied, knowing fore well that the blush sweeping across her face, together with the chuckle escaping from Nathan's lips were completely betraying her little white lie. She turned quickly to Nathan, giving him an evil glare, before turning her head back to Brooke, flashing her the most innocent smile she could give.

"Nothing my ass." Brooke bitched as she grabbed hold of Haley's hand and dragged her through the heaving crowd.

"Brooke!" Haley shouted as she felt herself be dragged through the crowd of people that had gathered to celebrate her birthday. Haley noticed that the volume of her voice had attracted some unwanted attention, and so Haley smiled sweetly as she bumped unintentionally into people, unable to control her body for Brooke was moving so quickly through the crowd. She heard some people shout out Happy Birthday to her, and so Haley turned in the general direction that the voices had come from and shouted back so that they could hear her over the music. "Thanks." She then hurried along so that she was closer to Brooke. "Brooke, what are you doing?" She hissed at her.

"Getting you a touch up." Brooke threw over her shoulder as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the key to Lucas' office, opening the door and pushing Haley inside, closing the door behind her and reaching for the emergency makeup supplies she had placed on Lucas' desk earlier, grabbing the lipstick and applying it to Haley's lips.

Haley didn't bother to move, there would have been no point in trying, and she had learnt her valuable lesson earlier today. She stood as still as she could and allowed Brooke to reapply her lipstick.

"There we go." Brooke said with a satisfied smile once she had finished. "Right, let's go and get this party started!" Brooke grabbed Haley's hand and marched her out of the office, locking the door behind her. She turned to face Haley once she was sure the door had been locked. "Okay, here is the key, you take it so that you can always come back in here and redo the makeup if you need to, okay?" Brooke then placed the key in Haley's hand.

"Brooke, I have nowhere to put this." Haley said, gesturing to the dress she was wearing, letting Brooke know that she had no pockets to put a key in and she hadn't even bought a purse with her.

"Just put it here." Brooke said as she placed the key inside of Haley's bra.

"Well that's just uncomfortable." Haley moaned.

"Quit it, you'll be thanking me later when you need a touch up and I am nowhere to be seen!" Brooke smiled and grabbed Haley's hand, taking her back to the party.

Haley and Brooke made their way over to where they had left Nathan and Lucas, winding their way through everybody on the dance floor. "Oh look, Jake's here!" Haley said once the boys came into view, and she sped up so that she could reach them all quicker. "Hey Jake! You made it!" Haley said as she welcomed him to her party by giving him a hug.

"Hi Haley, yeah, I did!" Jake returned once Haley had finished hugging him hello. "Great party!"

"Well that is all Brooke's doing." Haley said as she moved to stand in front of Nathan, taking the white wine he had ordered for her and giving him a little smile as she leant back into him, feeling his hand snake its way around her stomach.

"I should have guessed!" Jake teased Brooke, as she hit him playfully on the arm.

Haley turned her head a little so that she could look up at Nathan, finding him staring down at her.

"You enjoying yourself?" Nathan asked, smiling back down at his gorgeous girlfriend.

"I am." Haley smiled back, leaning up to kiss him on the lips.

"Good." Nathan muttered back as he leant back in and kissed Haley more hungrily on the lips, feeling her mouth open as soon as his tongue touched her lips, letting it slide into her mouth, searching for hers, moaning quietly when his tongue connected with hers.

Haley pulled away from Nathan's kiss and blushed, for she could feel countless pairs of eyes on them both. Part of her didn't care, she wanted to be kissing Nathan, but there was another part of her that would forever be a little bit shy about that kind of thing, especially when all these people were here for her birthday. "I just need to go and use the ladies." Haley told Nathan as she handed him her wine glass and walked through the crowd towards the toilets.

~*~

Peyton stood outside of the bar, pleased that she wasn't famous, for the photographers that had completely crowded the entrance to the bar had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever, which was exactly the way she wanted things to be this evening, she didn't want to bring on any unwanted attention, she didn't want to cause a scene. She could feel her palms sweating and she hadn't even walked into the bar yet, and she knew she needed to be braver than this; after all, Nathan had been brave enough to come and see her even though he knew how much of a bitch she was going to be to him, he had been brave enough to tell her exactly how things were. But she couldn't help but wonder that Haley wouldn't even want her here. Peyton knew how stubborn she herself could be, and if this was her birthday party, she wouldn't want someone who had been a complete bitch to her to turn up. But she had got this far, she was going to walk inside, find Haley, apologise for her behaviour and hope that Haley would forgive her, if Haley wanted her to leave, then she would, she wasn't going to ruin her party.

She took a deep breath and made her way inside, instantly seeing how crowded the place was. She did a quick scan of what she could see of the bar but she knew that she didn't have a hope in hell of finding Haley, not when there were so many people here. She decided to go to the toilets and then do a proper search of the place, and so headed through the dance floor towards the sign she had seen for the restrooms over on the other side of where she was standing.

~*~

Haley had just opened the door to the toilets, ready to head back out to the party, at the same time as someone else was trying to get in them. She moved out of the way, allowing the other person room to come inside and then looked up to see who it was she was letting past. She felt her heart rate quicken when she took in the familiar blonde ringlets, her eyes instantly cutting to the face to whom this hair belonged to, not sure if she actually wanted to find out if this person was in fact Peyton, or if it was just someone who had the exact same hairstyle as her.

Peyton walked past the person who had opened the door for her and walked inside of the toilets. She had never felt so nervous in her life, and she desperately needed the loo. However, as she continued walking forward, and then heard that all too familiar voice call out her name, she stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn't wanted to see Haley just yet; she hadn't even begun to think about what the hell she was going to say to her.

"Peyton?" Haley blurted out before she could stop herself, she was far too curious to let this Peyton lookalike walk past her.

Peyton turned around and looked Haley in the eyes, throwing a shy smile her way, waiting for the moment where she would start screaming, shouting and possibly hitting her, hell it wasn't like she didn't deserve any of that treatment. But all Peyton was greeted with was stunned silence. When Haley didn't say anything else, she decided it was her turn to speak. "Hi Haley. Happy Birthday." Peyton said sheepishly, she didn't know what else to say, she knew it was lame, but it was something at least.

Haley stared at Peyton in disbelief. She didn't know what to think of her being here. She had no idea who had even invited her. And if Nathan found out that she was here, well he would go absolutely berserk, she was sure of it. And how had she even found out that she was having a party? Then her feelings started resurfacing, remembering the last time they had spoken, remembering what Peyton thought about her relationship with Nathan ,remembering how she had been waiting and waiting for an apology. So many thoughts were running through Haley's mind, she didn't know what to do or say. "Why are you here?" She asked what seemed to be the first logical question.

Peyton took a deep breath before answering Haley. "Look Haley, you have every right to be angry, to tell me to leave, and if you want me to, I will just go. But I want you to know that I am sorry. I should never have done what I did, sending Chase to mess around with your private relationship, that was really bitchy of me. And I'm not just sorry for that, I'm sorry for trying to force my opinions onto you too. You are right, it is your life, and me trying to protect your career is not an excuse for me to use to try to control any part of your life. So I'm sorry for everything, sorry for the way I have been acting over the past couple of months."

Haley stood there not saying anything as she listened to what Peyton was saying to her. She couldn't believe that Peyton had turned up here not to cause trouble, but to actually apologise. Haley had been waiting for this for so long, she didn't quite know what to do with it now that she had heard the only words she had wanted to hear from Peyton. "What changed your mind?" Haley asked, confused as to what had bought her hear, confused as to why she was finally doing exactly what Haley had wanted from her in the first place.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked back, not sure if she should tell Haley that Nathan had come to see her or not, she wasn't sure if he had told her that he had done that.

"Well, the last time we spoke you were pretty adamant that you could never accept Nathan and I being together, so I want to know what has changed." Haley demanded, trying to protect herself a little, wanting to make sure that Peyton was being sincere, and not wanting to fall for another one of her games, if indeed this was one of them.

Peyton sighed. She knew that to Haley this must all seem quit bizarre, having her show up completely unannounced, and she wasn't surprised that Haley had her guard up; she would have done that too. Peyton knew she wasn't going to fool Haley, and she didn't want to lie to her, not anymore, not after everything that had happened. "Don't be mad at Nathan, but he came to see me and explained everything, he told me about Chase, and listen Haley, if I had known what an ass he was, I would never have done that to you, not that that excuses what I did in the first place, because that was wrong too, but I can't believe I did that, I can't believe that he did that. You should have told me when it all happened Haley, you should have been able to come and tell me about things like that. And I know that it's all completely my fault, and I understand if you don't want us to be friends anymore, I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore too. Just know that I am really sorry." Peyton rambled, wanting to get everything she had to say out there, on the table, so that Haley could do with it what she pleased.

Haley's eyes grew wide at Peyton's revelation; she couldn't believe that Nathan had gone to see Peyton. "Nathan came to see you?" Haley asked incredulously, not believing what Peyton was telling her, but then there was no other way she could have found out about Chase, so it had to be true really.

Peyton smiled at Haley. "I know, that boy really does deserve a medal, having the guts to come and tell me how it is." Peyton laughed at herself, remembering the conversation she'd had with Nathan about Haley.

Haley joined in laughing too, she actually wished that she could have been a fly on the wall during that conversation, she knew how much Nathan hated Peyton for what she had done and knowing that he had done this for her made her realise how much better he knew her than even she knew herself. She needed Peyton in her life and given that Peyton had built up the courage to come here and explain herself, well that meant a lot to Haley. "Peyton, I know we've had our differences..."

"Haley I know that, but I can totally see why you are so hung up on Nathan! It wasn't fair for me to slap a label on him, but trust me, that boy really does love you." Peyton interrupted, wanting Haley to know that she completely accepted Nathan and her being together.

Haley was shocked at Peyton's words. She now not only accepted that Nathan was in her life but was also telling her that he loved her? He hadn't even said that to her yet. "He told you that he loves me?" Haley asked quickly, wanting to find out if he had said that or not.

"Well no he didn't have to, it's obvious Haley! Why?" Peyton asked.

"Nothing, it's just we haven't said that to each other yet." Haley replied, her voice drifting off somewhat at the end, thinking about what Peyton had just said. She wasn't sure if he did love her, surely if he did, he would have said it to her, why wouldn't he have? They had been together for a while now, so what was holding him back?

"Haley, trust me, he loves you, regardless of whether he has said it to you or not." Peyton said matter of factly, watching as Haley's face was now one of complete concentration mixed with a little bit of confusion. "What's the matter Haley?"

"I dunno, it's just... you honestly think that he loves me?" Haley asked again, wanting confirmation.

"I'm sure of it." Peyton said, laughing at how insecure Haley could be sometimes.

Haley shook her head of her thoughts, Peyton was trying to apologise to her and she had just drifted off into a daydream, or rather shock. She had plenty of time to mull over what Peyton had just said to her later on this evening. "Peyton, I'm really glad you came." Haley said sincerely, and she was, she had missed Peyton since they hadn't been talking. "I just want things to go back to normal."

Peyton let out a long breath of relief. "Haley, I want that too, more than anything."

"Good." Haley said as she smiled at Peyton, pulling her in for a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too!" Peyton returned, so happy to have her friend back in her life.

~*~

Haley stood with her back resting against Nathan's chest, swaying in time to the music as she sipped on her wine, watching the scene around her. Everyone seemed to be having a really good time, she looked out onto the dance floor, finding Brooke and Lucas dancing with each other and then looked to her right and saw Peyton and Jake chatting away, they seemed to be getting on really well, Haley smiled as she watched them flirt so obviously with each other. She closed her eyes, getting lost in the feel of Nathan's hand lying on top of hers over her stomach, the feel of being close to him. He really did make her the happiest person alive. She turned around to face him and looked deeply into his eyes. "I can't believe you went to see her." Haley said as she smiled at him.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "She told you?"

"She did and thank you for doing it." Haley nodded her head in confirmation. "But why did you do it?" Haley asked, wanting to hear him say those three words that Peyton was convinced that he felt. She ran her hand down his chest, her eyes following it until she rested her hand on his stomach before looking back up at him, smiling into his amazing blue eyes.

"I know how much she means to you Haley, even though you were mad at her, she is your best friend." Nathan shrugged as he answered her.

Haley nodded her head and then rested it on his chest. That wasn't exactly the explanation she had been after, but maybe Peyton was right, was it just obvious that he loved her?

Nathan rested his head on top of Haley's swaying them both to the beat of the music. He really wouldn't want to be anywhere else than right here with her. He pulled her away from his chest and smiled at her. "So did you enjoy your party?" He asked.

"I did enjoy my party." Haley responded, smiling back at him.

"Well, we've still got your real birthday to come, and I promise that my present is going to completely blow this party out of the water!" Nathan chuckled to himself.

Haley smiled up at him, and as grateful as she would be for whatever he had planned for her, all she really wanted was for him to tell her that he loved her, was that really too much to ask?

**AN – Okay guys! I am so pleased I managed to finish that! How many of you knew that they hadn't said the I love you's yet!? I had almost forgotten....!**

**For those of you that read Think About Me – I have made a start on the next chapter so that should be posted soon!**

**Let me know what you thought by dropping me a review! The next chapter will be Nathan's birthday present – what do you all think it's going to be?! x**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN – Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews you all left for the last chapter! I love each and every one of you for taking the time to leave them! I'm happy that most of you seem to be glad that Haley and Peyton worked things out, although some of you are still a little bit sceptical of Peyton and her intentions and whether she finally does accept Haley and Nathan's relationship or not! I think you all know that there is some drama coming up in this story (because I told you!) and so some of you still think that Peyton will play a part in it somehow… well I'm not going to say whether she will or not, I'll just leave it as a surprise! I have no idea how many chapters this story will be, but it will probably be quite a long story, as I said before, I have it all mapped out and am slowly ticking things off the list as and when they get written, and I do know how I want the whole story to end, so it's just a case of getting my fingers to type faster and trying to find time to update!**

**And on that note – I am sorry about how long it has taken me to update this chapter – work has been crazy and my fiancé's mum isn't that well at the moment so finding time to sit down and write has been quite difficult! I'm off to Dublin, Ireland for 2 meetings tomorrow morning which is going to be a full on 20 hour day with all the travelling so that should be fun...!**

**So anyway, enough babbling and on with the next chapter, Nathan's birthday present to Haley… I hope you all like the update! x**

**Chapter Twenty**

Haley's eyes fluttered open and closed quickly as she began to wake up, her brain slowly coming to life as she tried to work out where she was. She could tell she wasn't in her own bed, but as she snuggled down into the covers, she realised that she was in one that was just a comfy as her own, especially as the bed she was currently in belonged to her gorgeous boyfriend. She smiled to herself as she thought about what day it was, finally working out that it was Friday, which meant that it was her birthday! She snapped her eyes open and rolled over, wanting to wake Nathan up as quickly as possible and see what he had decided to get her for her birthday, seeing as he had been bragging about it ever since Brooke had decided to throw her a party a couple of weeks ago, only to find herself frowning at the empty space that was next to her. She looked at the clock and saw that it was nine in the morning, he didn't have practice until ten thirty and usually he lay in bed until at least nine thirty, wanting to take advantage of as much sleep as he could get, so him not being in bed right now came as a complete surprise to her. She decided that he must be downstairs, making her breakfast or something, and so jumped out of bed, pulling on one of his t-shirts as she ran down the stairs towards his kitchen, only to find the room completely empty. She ran around the rest of the house, calling out his name only to not get a reply, as she checked every single room, not finding him anywhere. She walked back into the lounge and slumped on the couch, folding her arms across her chest, wondering what the hell was going on and where the hell he was?

She then decided that as he wasn't here, he must have left her a note or something, that was what people did right, when they left without being able to say goodbye, they left a note, maybe he had just popped out for a few minutes or something? She raced back upstairs to his bedroom, checking both of the bedside tables for a note, but finding nothing, running back down to the kitchen to check the fridge, but yet again, she found nothing. She dejectedly walked around the rest of the house, just to check to see if this note she thought that he would courteously leave her was anywhere else, even though she knew that if it wasn't in the bedroom or in the kitchen, it wouldn't be anywhere.

Eventually she gave up looking, and decided to try his mobile and find out where he was, and how long he was going to be, even though he should be the one calling her, after all, it was her birthday, but the phone just rang and rang, until eventually it went to his voicemail. She gave her phone a scowl before hanging up without leaving a message. _He can't have forgotten about it. _She told herself, hoping that it was true and he really hadn't forgotten her birthday. That sort of thing was just plain wrong; a boyfriend shouldn't forget his girlfriend's birthday – there was just no excuse for that!

She decided to pass some time by taking a long shower, spending longer than she usually did under all the jets his amazing shower had, allowing the water to massage her until she was completely relaxed, and sighed contentedly to herself. She had to be at the studio at ten thirty though, and if Nathan wanted time for her to open her presents and have breakfast together, he was going to have to get home pronto and she was going to have to get ready quickly. So she unwillingly stepped out of the shower, knowing that she needed to get ready to leave while wondering if he had returned home yet.

Once she had pulled on her clothes, she walked downstairs and checked every room only to find that he still hadn't returned from wherever the hell he had gone off to. She frowned as she glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already nine thirty and decided that she had waited long enough, and pulled out some cereal and the milk, pouring herself a bowl as she slumped into one of the kitchen chairs, and chomped her way through her breakfast while muttering to herself about how rude Nathan was being, this whole thing was far from funny now.

Forty five minutes later, Haley slammed the door shut to the studio where Peyton and various other producers were waiting for her, marched over to the sofa and flopped down on it, letting out a huge huff of air before crossing her arms across her chest. She really didn't want to be here today, she could literally kill Peyton right about now… no one in the whole world, regardless of status or what they did, should have to work on their birthday, it should be a rule or something.

"Well happy birthday Haley!" Peyton said with an amused expression on her face having just watched what could only be described as a silent tantrum from Haley. "What's up with you, birthday wishes not coming true?" She asked as she kicked the leg that Haley had just crossed over her knee.

Haley glared at Peyton before opening her mouth to speak. "Why did you book this session today? I thought I was going to have a nice relaxing day in bed and then all of a sudden you book this stupid slot which shot that wish to hell. Happy Birthday indeed." Haley huffed, imitating Peyton's earlier words to her.

Peyton giggled. "Well sometimes things don't always go to plan, and considering you have an album coming out pretty soon, well put it this way, I don't think the fans will really appreciate buying a blank CD, do you? In fact, I don't think, regardless of how loyal some of them are, that they would even buy it if it had no songs on it..."

Haley chose to ignore what Peyton was saying to her, instead she grabbed her bag that she had flung on the floor and rooted around for her phone, surely he had now realised his mistake and had called, or text her… or something. But as she looked at her phone there was that same blank screen that had been there five minutes ago when she had checked her phone in the car before she had walked into the studio. She threw her phone back in her bag and stood up, sighing to herself. "Let's just get this stupid session over with so I can leave okay?" Haley bitched as she grabbed the pages which contained the lyrics she was supposed to be recording and walked into the recording booth.

Twenty minutes later, and Peyton still couldn't help the giggles escaping from her lips as she watched Haley, who was obviously in the biggest mood known to man, try to record what was supposed to be a romantic ballad. She shook her head at Haley before cutting off the music, telling the producers to go home, the song obviously wasn't going to get recorded today anyway. She looked down at her watch, seeing that she still needed to distract Haley for a good ten minutes before she could let her go. She straightened out her face and walked into the booth, trying not to laugh as she saw Haley sitting on the stool with her arms crossed, scowling right at her. "So what's up with you today?" Peyton asked as the giggle she was trying to stifle begged to be released.

Haley sighed and glared back at Peyton who had taken residence on the stool opposite her. "Nothing. Are we done now? Because I really want to get going." Haley replied.

"Yes we're done but no you can't go. Something's up, what is it?" Peyton pressed further, arching her eyebrow, wondering if Haley was going to confide in her or not, for she had a pretty good guess at what had got her so moody.

"I already told you Peyton, nothing is the matter, I just don't particularly want to be spending my birthday in a recording studio." Haley said, the volume of her voice increasing with the added agitation she felt. She knew she was mad at Nathan, not Peyton, but Peyton was here, so she was getting the brunt of her anger, and Nathan, well who the fuck knew where he was?! She stared down at her top and started picking some imaginary lint off the material, trying to distract her thoughts and not get upset about the whole thing.

Peyton bit down on her lip, not being able to help herself, knowing that what she was about to say next would really make Haley fly off the handle, but it would keep her amused for a while anyway, and she would be able to laugh with Haley about it in a couple of days, so it would be worth it. "So what did Nathan get you?" Peyton asked, trying her best to sound interested, and excited about what Haley was going to reveal, which she knew would be nothing.

Haley took a deep breath and turned to Peyton, glaring at her, knowing that she had just woken the beast inside of her. "Nathan? You want to know what he got me?" Haley scoffed as she jumped off the stool and searched for her bag, unable to see it, before turning back to Peyton. "He got me fuck all is what he got me Peyton." Haley shouted, remembering that her bag was still next to the couch in the other room, and so she started to walk in that direction to retrieve it. "I woke up this morning and he was fucking gone. Not a word, a note, a present, a card, a 'Happy Birthday Haley' in sight. Fucking bastard! He'll be lucky if I even consider forgiving him for forgetting my birthday. He'd better come up with a decent apology for this. Asshole." Haley yelled in frustration as she opened the door, grabbed her bag from beside the sofa and ran out of the building in tears.

Peyton burst out laughing as, right on cue she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID and couldn't stop laughing as she connected the call.

"Peyton?" Nathan asked when he heard the call connect, unsure if it was her he was talking to, for all he could hear was laughter coming from the phone.

Peyton wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and sighed as she tried to calm herself down. "Yeah Nathan, it's me." Peyton said as she took another calming deep breath.

"What's so funny?" Nathan asked, wanting in on the joke too.

"Haley. She's pissed Nathan; I hope you can handle it." Peyton returned as she shook her head, giggling again at how angry Haley had been.

"Well that was kind of the point, wasn't it? I mean, the whole surprise, I kind of expected her to you know, be a bit miffed but... how angry was she?" Nathan asked, mentally kicking himself for this whole wonderful idea now.

"She was angry Nathan, it was hilarious! I think some of her words were.... 'He'll be lucky if I even consider forgiving him for forgetting my birthday'. There were some swear words mixed in with her whole rant too but you don't need to hear them. It's perfect; she really does think you've forgotten about it! She was practically crying when she left here!" Peyton giggled as she recalled Haley's words again.

"Shit Peyton! I didn't want her to be that upset about it!" Nathan said quickly, slapping his head for even thinking that this was a good idea now.

Peyton sighed. "Nathan, what did you think was going to happen? She's a girl; of course she's going to get upset if she thinks you haven't remembered her birthday."

"I don't know... maybe I should call her and explain?" Nathan pondered out loud.

"Oh no, no, no. You can't back down from this now; I had to twist loads of arms and legs to get everyone in the studio at such short notice! She's going to be with you in half an hour anyway so don't ruin it all! If anything, call her and pretend that you still haven't remembered, that will really annoy her and make the surprise even more brilliant, her face is going to be an absolute picture when she sees you!" Peyton said excitedly as this new idea came to her.

"You really are a bitch aren't you?" Nathan said in shock, shaking his head at how evil Peyton could be, even if it was all just an act to end up surprising Haley.

"Oh like you didn't already know that. Now call her, it will be classic and make the surprise even better." Peyton returned as she hung up the phone and smiled... she couldn't wait to hear all the details from Nathan and Haley later on.

~*~

Haley heard her phone ringing in her bag and nearly chose to ignore it, but decided at the last minute that she wanted to see if it was Nathan, and see if he had finally remembered what day it was. She pulled her phone out of her bag and smiled when she saw that it was him calling her. Maybe he didn't need to think of a good apology after all! "Hey you." Haley said as she smiled when she answered the phone.

Nathan cleared his throat and did his best to sound casual, he was slightly taken back by her friendly tone, it seemed that Peyton was wrong and she wasn't pissed at all. "Hey Hales, what you doing?" He asked.

Haley pulled the phone away from her ear as her mouth dropped open, before she quickly regained her composure and answered his question. "I'm just going home; I've been at the recording studio."

"Go well?" Nathan asked, hearing the slight change in her tone, he could tell that she was trying hard to cover her anger.

Haley shook her head, she couldn't believe he hadn't said it yet, how hard was it to say 'Happy Birthday'? Better yet, how hard was it to even remember what day her birthday was on? "Fine." Haley returned through gritted teeth, she knew that she wasn't that far away from completely flipping out on him.

"Good. Well I had practice, it went okay, I'm just heading to the gym to do some weights." Nathan lied; he could hear Haley's steady breathing through the phone and knew she was doing her best to not start laying into him. Peyton was right, it was kind of fun, and seeing her face in about five minutes would make this so worth it!

"Don't pull anything." Haley bit at him sarcastically. He deserved to have a body full of pulled muscles as far as she was concerned. She stared out of the window for the first time since she had got in the car and noticed that the driver of the car was driving in completely the wrong direction from her home. She shook her head in confusion. "Oh shit." She moaned.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

Haley sighed. "This day is like the worst day ever. The driver isn't even taking me home, and if he is, well he's taking some massive detour. Hey!" Haley shouted as she knocked on the sheet of glass that separated the back of the car from the front, expecting the driver to open it so she could talk to him, only it remained closed. She banged on the glass a little harder. "Driver!" She shouted again, still getting nothing, and instead hearing Nathan chuckle down the phone at her. "You'd better shut the fuck up Nathan." Haley snapped as she flung herself back in the seat.

"Hey what did I do?" Nathan defended himself, still unable to hold back the smirking; this was all going to plan.

"What did you do?" Haley yelled, completely exasperated with him. "You don't even fucking know do you?" She started. "You know what Nathan; I really thought that you were like this amazing boyfriend. But today, you have proved that you are nothing more than a worthless piece of shit. I mean how the hell could you not know what today is..." Haley stopped talking when the car stopped. She looked around, wondering what the hell the driver's problem was. She didn't even know where the hell she was, but it definitely wasn't home. This driver was going to really feel all of her frustrations in a minute. "For fucks sake!" Haley bitched. "I can't fucking believe this. Trust me to get the most incompetent driver on the planet."

Nathan watched as the driver stepped out of the car, while he still held the phone to his ear, not saying anything, just listening to Haley rant and rave about how she was going to 'beat the crap out of the driver as soon as he opened the damn door'. He smiled to himself as he looked down at his suit and waited patiently for Haley to get out of the car.

Haley heard the driver open the door and grabbed her bag from the seat before stepping out of the car. She stood up straight and marched to the driver. "What the hell is this?" She yelled. "I asked you to take me home, and instead of listening to me, you take me to some..." She started as she looked around, flapping her arms in the air, trying to work out where she was. "Where the hell is this?" She shouted as she turned her whole body around, stopping when she saw Nathan standing behind the car, smirking at her, wearing a suit and holding the biggest bunch of lilies she had ever seen in his arms. Haley looked between Nathan and the driver, trying to work out what was going on and why she was here, why Nathan was here?

Nathan laughed at the look Haley was throwing at him, he could see how confused she was, so he walked over to her, as he realised that she wasn't going to come over to him. Eventually he walked over to her, paid the driver and waited for him to leave so that he could explain all this to Haley.

Haley was still so confused. Nathan was now just standing in front of her, not saying anything, and she couldn't understand what was going on? Why the hell was she here? Why the hell hadn't he just waited for her this morning to give her these flowers? Why hadn't he got them delivered to the house if he was too damn busy to give them to her this morning? At least that way she wouldn't be thinking that he had forgotten her birthday all morning, which she was still pissed about. "Nathan what the hell is this?" She asked, unable to keep the bite from her tone, for she was still reeling about this morning.

Nathan laughed at Haley's tone, clearly he was still not forgiven for this morning's ignoring. He closed the distance that was between them and reached up one of his hands to her face, stroking her cheekbone lightly with his thumb. "Happy birthday Hales." He whispered as he leant down and placed a light kiss on her lips.

Haley pulled away from him and looked him suspiciously in the eyes. "So now you remember huh?" She said, wanting to test whether he had actually remembered or whether someone had told him and he had rushed this whole kidnapping thing, or whatever the hell he was doing with her now.

Nathan chuckled. "I've always remembered that today is your birthday Hales, I just wanted you to think I had forgotten so that this would be a surprise, and clearly, judging by the look on your face, it worked!"

Haley eyed him suspiciously, but could see no hint of a lie, no looking away from her as he spoke; there was nothing nervous about him at all, so she believed him. "Why weren't you there when I woke up? I wanted you to be there." Haley pouted.

Nathan smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her pouting lip. "Because I had some stuff to sort out." He said as he pulled away from her.

"Like what?" Haley asked coyly, her mood changing for the better rapidly, given that she now knew that Nathan hadn't forgotten her birthday after all, and judging by the suit that he had on, he obviously had something amazing planned for her, and she was getting excited about what he had up his sleeve.

"Like this!" Nathan said as he took her hand and led her up to the private jet he had hired.

Haley looked around in awe and now that she had actually taken the time to actually take in her surroundings, she realised that she was indeed at an airport. She looked at the plane that Nathan was leading her towards and stopped dead in her tracks. "Nathan Scott, tell me you did not hire a plane just for us?" Haley exclaimed, speaking in a half excited tone, and a half are-you-crazy tone.

Nathan grabbed her hand and tugged her up the stairs. "Of course I did." Nathan said as they walked on board.

~*~

Nine and a half hours, several bottles of champagne and enough whinging by Haley at Nathan for him to tell her where they were going later, Haley found herself blindfolded while sitting in what she thought was a limo, which had just come to a stop. She raised her hands, wanting to take the blindfold off so she could see where she was, only to find Nathan's hands grip hers and pulled them both back down to her sides. Haley sighed. "Nathan please... I want to know where we are." She whined while crossing her arms over her chest, for she really couldn't see anything through the blacked out material covering her eyes and she was getting anxious.

Nathan chuckled and placed a feather light kiss on Haley's lips. "You'll see where we are in five more minutes, I promise." Nathan said as he checked to make sure that the blindfold was still on her properly. Once he was satisfied that she couldn't see anything, he waited for the driver to open the door to the car and helped Haley walk inside of the hotel, as he walked straight up to the check-in desk after placing Haley in one of the seats which was in the lobby.

Haley desperately wanted to know where she was and so she was so tempted to rip the blindfold off then and there, and she very nearly did but managed to stop her hands from moving any further up when she thought about how much planning Nathan must have put into this whole gift. She placed her hands underneath her bum so she wouldn't be tempted to peek or remove the blindfold again and waited patiently for Nathan to come back to her. He had said that she would find out where she was in five minutes time, but it already felt like an hour had passed; especially when she thought about how stupid she must look, sitting with a blindfold covering her eyes, all alone in... well she didn't know where the hell she was!

Nathan had just finished checking-in and had just been handed the key to the suite. He had been informed that the hotel staff would take care of their luggage and that the room was ready for them now. He turned around and started walking back towards Haley, who was sitting in exactly the same spot where he had left her, to find himself stopping to just stare at her. He couldn't help the smile that spread over his face at the sight of her, even after the months that they had been together; she still managed to take his breath away. He just hoped that she would like the present he had got for her... and that he got the response that he wanted when he managed to finally build up the courage and talk to her. But he didn't want to think about that now, and so he took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts to the back of his head as he walked back over to where he had left Haley. "You ready to move baby?" Nathan asked as he placed his hand in hers and led her towards the elevators.

"Nathan please let me take it off now." Haley asked in the sweetest voice she could find. She was getting really restless and wanted to know where they were, she hated not being in control of situations, and this was absolutely killing her. She felt Nathan pull her inside of something and then the ground started to move, so they were obviously in an elevator.

Nathan grinned at her, even though she couldn't see him, before pulling her to him, so she crashed against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning down to her neck and leaving light kisses on her skin. His hands moved underneath the hem of her shirt and travelled to her hips, where he rested them there, pulling her body in closer to his. His kisses travelled along her neck towards her ear, and upon hearing the breathy moan escape from her lips, he pulled away slightly. "You really don't like the blindfold, no?" He asked innocently.

Haley shook her head, before moaning again when she felt Nathan's tongue trace around her pulse point. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raked her fingernails along the back of his neck, before bringing her hands around to rest on his shoulders, trying to keep herself upright. His mouth continued to move along her skin, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses on her neck. Haley couldn't take it any longer, she needed to feel his mouth on hers, and she needed to feel that amazing tongue of his inside of her mouth. She moved her hands slowly up his neck to his jaw and tilted his head up a bit so that she could connect his lips with her own.

Nathan couldn't help the moan that escaped from his mouth when he felt Haley's tongue enter his mouth. His mouth moved hungrily over hers as his hands wandered all over her body, following her sensual curves before resting on her ass. He pulled away from the kiss, needing to catch his breath, but he was unable to stop leaving kisses all over her cheeks as his mouth wandered back towards her ear. He wanted to feel more of her though and so he gripped Haley around the waist and in one swift motion turned her quickly so she had her back against the mirrored walls of the elevator, and pressed his body up to hers, while his mouth nibbled on her earlobe. "Well, I'm thinking that the blindfold is kind of sexy Hales." Nathan whispered huskily in her ear, before moving his mouth hungrily along her neck as his fingers started unbuttoned the buttons on her shirt, his mouth moving down her chest to kiss the skin he was exposing, and once he had unbuttoned her shirt, his hands wandered over the taunt skin of her stomach, over her ass and down to her thighs, which he gripped tightly and then lifted her off the floor.

As soon as Haley felt Nathan grip her thighs and lift her off the floor, she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, enjoying the feel of his mouth moving so hot and wet along her skin. As she grinded her hips against him, she moved her hands into his hair, tangling her fingers in it, while pressing his mouth harder against her skin. She felt his teeth rake across her chest and couldn't help the moan that she let out, feeling him press harder into her with his body, as his hands moved up her stomach towards her bra.

Nathan had now moved his mouth back up to Haley's neck as his right hand moved over the material of her bra, feeling her nipple harden underneath his touch. He pulled down the material of Haley's bra just enough so that he could move his mouth over her nipple. He heard Haley moan his name breathlessly as she grinded her hips harder into him, his tongue tracing around her nipple before sucking it in his mouth.

All of a sudden, Haley felt what she presumed was the elevator stopping, which brought her mind back to the present instead of fantasising abut ripping Nathan's clothes off his body and taking him then and there. She pulled his mouth away from her nipple reluctantly, pulled her bra back on her body properly and reached her hands down to start buttoning up her shirt, only to have her hands stopped by Nathan. "Nathan come on, I'm not going to walk around wherever the hell we are with my bra showing!" Haley exclaimed as she tried to free her hands from Nathan's grasp, but found his grip on her to be too strong.

"Hales, it's like four in the morning where we are, trust me, no one is going to see anything. And besides, I'll only end up ripping your shirt off you again in two minutes anyway, so just leave it okay." Nathan demanded and once he saw Haley nod, he loosened his grip of her arms and wrapped his own arms back around her, holding her up by her ass. The doors to the elevator opened, and Nathan carried Haley out of the elevator, only to be greeted by a man and woman who raised their eyebrows in shock at the sight of Haley with her blouse open, revealing her black lacy bra, with her legs wrapped around him. He prayed that they wouldn't say anything to him, knowing that Haley would kill him if she could see what was going on right now. _Thank god for the blindfold. _Nathan thought to himself as he scurried down the corridor away from the disapproving eyes of the old couple, before they could open their mouths, and once he was far enough away from them, he grinned as he placed a kiss on her neck.

"What are you smiling about?" Haley asked as she felt Nathan place the kiss on her neck.

Nathan pulled his mouth from Haley's neck and looked at her suspiciously. "How did you know I was smiling?" He asked, bringing one hand around to wave it in front of Haley's face, wanting to double check that she couldn't see anything.

Haley scowled when she felt the air being fanned onto her face. "Nathan what the hell are you doing?" Haley asked.

"I knew it, you can see can't you?" Nathan accused as his mouth flung wide open. "Great. So much for the big surprise. How long have you been able to see?" He asked as he rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe that she could see! Now the whole surprise was completely ruined.

"God Nathan, calm down! I can't see anything!" Haley returned, unable to help the giggle that escaped at how worked up he was getting over all this.

"Well how do you know what I'm doing then?" Nathan asked as he continued to walk them both along the corridor to the hotel suite.

"I felt you smile against my skin when you kissed me Nathan. And as far as the fanning of air in my face, I'm guessing that you were checking to see if I could see anything, right?" Haley answered while running her fingers along the base of his neck, trying to calm him down a little.

"Are you positive you can't see?" Nathan asked, wanting to double check again.

"One hundred percent positive." Haley replied before leaning in to kiss whatever part of his face her lips reached first.

"Good." Nathan replied as he reached around to his back pocket and picked out the key card, placing it in the door before pushing it open and walking inside the room, closing the door behind him.

Haley could tell that they had moved somewhere different again and was now getting impatient. "Nathan... please." She begged, really wanting to get the blindfold off now so that she could see where they both were.

"Two more seconds Haley okay?" Nathan said as he placed her down on the floor and looked around the room, before moving back to her and pulling her inside of the room.

"Nathan come on! I'm like dying here! I mean how long have I been blindfolded now? You have to let me take this thing off! I've had like the worst start to my birthday ever and all I want..." Haley started but found that she was interrupted by Nathan.

"What do you mean?" Nathan said, wanting to know why she hadn't had that good a day.

"Well I thought you had forgotten about my birthday." Haley reminded him.

Nathan shook his head as he walked closer to her, reaching out with his hand to her cheekbone as he softly moved his thumb over it. "You can't have believed that I had forgotten Hales?" Nathan asked.

"I did!" Haley replied. "You had just left; there wasn't anything to show that you had remembered, no card, no note... I was so angry!" Haley chuckled. "But I'm sure whatever you have done here, will more than make up for it."

Nathan smiled and pulled Haley further into the room, before opening the balcony and lifting her over the step, and the led her to the railing, while he stood behind her and wrapped his arm around her stomach, softly grazing her skin that was still exposed from her shirt. "I hope this makes up for it." Nathan said as he pulled the blindfold off her.

It took Haley a couple of seconds to get used to the fact that she no longer had her sight constricted by black material, and she blinked a couple of times as she tried to get used to the lights that seemed to be twinkling in front of her. She looked to her right, and then to her left and gasped at what she saw. "Nathan, now way!" She gushed as her eyes grew wide, taking in the famous landmark that she had never seen before, except for on TV and in pictures.

Nathan placed a feather light kiss on her neck and whispered in her ear. "Welcome to Paris baby."

Haley immediately turned around and grinned at Nathan, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to capture his mouth with hers, leaving a soft kiss on his lips. "Nathan this is amazing! Thank you. How the hell did you plan all this?" Haley asked. She shook her head, still trying to get the fact that she was in Paris to settle in her mind, hoping that if she stared at the Eiffel Tower enough that the truth of the situation would actually register in her head as being real.

"Peyton helped me plan it all, that's why you had the sudden studio session booked this morning." Nathan revealed. "We're here until Sunday evening."

"I can't believe we are in Paris!" Haley exclaimed, before pulling away from him, taking his arm with her as she walked into the hotel suite, heading towards the door.

"Hales where are you going?" Nathan chuckled at her eagerness.

Haley turned and kissed his cheek. "We've got a load of exploring to do!"

~*~

After a long day walking around the city, taking in the sights, eating delicious French food and buying all sorts of Parisian goodies, Nathan and Haley found themselves walking along the Seine, hand in hand, both of them taking in the warm summer Parisian night, when Nathan moved them off the road following the river, walking down a small side street. Haley turned to look at him. "Where the hell are you taking us?" She asked, following his lead.

"Well we've seen the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Champs Elysee, L'arc de Triomphe..." Nathan reeled off all the sight that they had seen that day, "but there is one place we haven't been to yet."

Haley smiled at him. "La Tour Eiffel?" Haley asked in her best French accent.

Nathan stopped walking and leaned Haley against the old stone wall that belonged to one of the buildings they were walking past. "Baby you sound so sexy when you speak like that." Nathan said huskily as he leant down towards her mouth.

"Moi?" Haley asked, giggling as she leant her mouth forward to meet his, leaving a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Yes you." Nathan said as he pulled away, smiling at her, before leading them both towards the Eiffel Tower.

They soon came to the end of the road that they had been walking down, and Haley gasped as she took in just how big the Eiffel Tower was. "Nathan, it looks amazing!" Haley said as she grabbed his hand and ran towards it.

Nathan chuckled at how excited she was at seeing it for real. They both made their way to the elevators which would take them to the top of the tower hand in hand as they waited patiently for their turn to get to the top. Nathan could already feel his heart beating quicker than it usually did at the thought of what he was going to do when he was up there. He double checked his pocket, checking that he had everything ready, before smiling down at Haley.

Ten minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and Haley and Nathan both walked outside of the room where the elevators were and out onto the balcony. Haley couldn't believe how beautiful the views were, and given that it was now night time, the twinkling lights of the city below looked so amazing. She walked over to the edge, feeling Nathan wrap his arms around her. "Nathan this is so beautiful." She gasped, moving her hands to rest on his as she let out a content sigh, her eyes darting from left to right, trying to take in as much of the sights as she could.

Nathan smiled happily as he rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes, wishing that he was in no other place in the world than with Haley, it wouldn't matter where on earth he was, as long as she was with him, by his side, for beside her was where he belonged, he was sure of that, there was no way that he could survive if she wasn't in his life. He opened his eyes, listening to Haley mumbling to herself at how beautiful the views were, and knew that now was the time, so he then moved his lips down to her ear, breathing in her delicious scent. "I love you." He whispered.

Haley immediately stopped her head darting from left to right and froze right then and there. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, her palms started sweating, her breathing rate increased tenfold. He had just said it; he had said what she had been waiting to hear from him for what felt like an absolute age. She couldn't help the smile that spread right across her face, her whole body was shaking, she was sure she was going to burst she was so happy. She leant back into his chest and closed her eyes briefly, just wanting to savour this moment for as long as she could, before she opened her eyes and tilted her head so that she could look at him. She brought one of her arms up to wrap around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers and just before their lips connected, she whispered, "I love you too."

As soon as Nathan had heard the words that she had just said, he closed the gap between their lips and pressed his against hers. He had never felt this way about someone before, he had never realised how incredible the feeling of being in love was, the feeling that he just couldn't go on unless he had Haley in his life for the rest of time was so strong, it was almost overwhelming. He pulled away from her and smiled down at her, before running a shaky hand through his hair and letting out a long breath of relief that she had said that she loved him too. "Do you want your present now?" He asked.

"What do you mean; I thought Paris was my present?" Haley said in a confused tone.

"Well Paris is part of your present, but I also got you something else." Nathan said as he turned Haley around and pulled out a small turquoise box and handed it to Haley.

Haley shook her head as she accepted the box. "Nathan, Paris is more than enough; you didn't need to get me anything else."

"Open it." Nathan said as he waited to see if she liked what he had picked out for her.

Haley carefully undid the white bow that surrounded the box and opened it up, revealing the most beautiful earrings she had ever seen in her life. They were a pair of platinum drop earrings covered in diamonds. "Nathan, they're amazing. Thank you." Haley gushed as she leaned up to kiss him on the lips, before looking back down at the earrings, picking one up out of the box to examine it closer, not being able to hide the smile, they were simply stunning.

"I'm glad you like them Hales." Nathan said. "But there's one more present I have for you."

Haley looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Nathan, you've got me too much already." Haley admonished.

"Well I'm hoping that this is something that will be for the both us." Nathan said as he took a deep breath and pulled out the papers that he had placed in his pocket when they had got changed at the hotel for dinner, and handed them to Haley.

"What's this?" Haley asked. She was now officially confused, she didn't know what the hell Nathan had just handed to her. She tried to work out what it was but she couldn't read what was written on the paper.

Nathan took another deep breath before he spoke. "It's a contract Haley. I bought us a house. I want us to live together."

**AN – Okay guys. Sorry to leave it there!!!!!!! Let me know what you thought of the chapter by leaving me a review! For those of you who read Think about Me – I'll be updating it soon, I promise! Thanks guys x **


	21. Chapter 21

**AN – Hey guys! I am so sorry about how long it has been since I updated this story – literally it's been like a month and I feel so bad about it! Those of you who read Think About Me will know that I had an absolute mammoth of a chapter to get out (the reveal chapter – finally!) which nearly killed me given how long is was, and now I'm ill (so now I actually do think that last chapter of Think About Me really did kill me!) – which hasn't helped with the whole getting this chapter out to you guys as soon as I could! So I do apologise, but I'm back now with another chapter which I hope you will all like!**

**Thank you so much to all of you who are reviewing, I love reading them all so much. I responded to those reviews that I could but to those of you who don't have accounts, thanks so much for reviewing , Mel (I'm glad you liked the last chapter), Gonggirl (Thanks so much for the lovely comments and read on to find out what Haley's reaction to Nathan's present is!), Shelley (I would definitely order me a Nathan too *sigh*), Jo (Thanks for your review, glad you are enjoying the story), angiej28 (Thanks so much for your review, I'm so pleased you are enjoying both my stories! And I hope you enjoyed the reveal chapter in Think About Me!)**

**On another note, I had a great time in Dublin, the meeting didn't last all day so I got a chance to look around the city and do a bit of shopping! I've also just booked a girly weekend holiday with one of my best friends in May so that should be really fun and I'm looking forward to that!**

**As I was writing the last chapter to this story (which seems like an absolute age ago (I'm so sorry!!!)), I did think that some of you would think that Nathan was going to propose to Haley, but I honestly don't think they are ready for that yet… hell it took my fiancé over 5 years to ask me and Nathan and Haley really haven't been together that long at all, but I'm glad I surprised some of you with the whole Nathan buying them a house thing… and I bet you are all dying to find out how Haley is going to react right? Well read on and find out!**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling and on with the chapter, hope you all enjoy! x**

**Chapter Twenty One**

Haley took a tentative step away from Nathan, almost dropping the earrings and the papers she still had in her hands as she did so. She was shocked to say the least, she hadn't been expecting any of this from Nathan at all, in fact, rewind back a couple of hours and she had thought that he had totally forgotten that today was her birthday, she had been pissed to the extreme at him for that, but he had redeemed himself in typical Nathan fashion, in fact he had more than redeemed himself, and now because of that fact, she found that she was standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower, having just heard him tell her that he loves her, which was so amazing she could have broken right out into a song and sang to the whole of Paris, and he had just given her what she knew to be an incredibly expensive pair of earrings, which were just fabulous, and, had she mentioned that he had flown them both to Paris in a private jet? That was already far too much for her to take in during twenty four hours, or however many hours it had been given the time difference. She could just about cope with all of that. But a house?

She took another step away from him again, wanting to double check that he wasn't joking about this whole house thing, and when she looked intently at his face, she saw no traces of any humour on it, and so she knew that he was deadly serious about it. She didn't know what to think… she needed… time, space… she just needed… something that would help her to sort out what the hell her brain was thinking and she really did try, but every thought was running through her head so quickly and she just wanted to be somewhere quiet so she could un-jumble at least one thought that she was thinking, but all of that was incredibly hard to achieve when you were standing trapped at the top of some humungous tower which was crowded with tourists, who were all ooing and ahhing at what were amazing sights of this wonderful city. She took another step back away from Nathan, only to find that she couldn't move any further as her back was now up against the railing of the tower. And then she started to panic.

Nathan watched Haley very carefully; trying to gauge her reaction to what he knew was a pretty big piece of news. It wasn't everyday that your boyfriend told you that he had bought a house for you, well really it was for both of them, to live in, together. But this was what he had wanted for them. He was so sure about his feelings for Haley, he had wanted to tell her that he loved her for a while now, and up here, at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris where he had whisked her away for her birthday, well it had been the perfect moment for him to tell her how he felt about her, and the fact that she had said it back to him, confirmed for him that living together was the right thing to do, wasn't it? It wasn't like he had any experience in any of this relationship stuff, feelings like this were all new to him, he'd never had feelings that ran this deep for anyone in his life, and he wasn't sure how long you were supposed to wait before you told someone that you loved them, or that you wanted to live with them, he didn't know if there was a time limit on any of that stuff, but he was pretty sure that there wasn't, so he had just acted on what he had felt was right. And this was it. He wanted to live with Haley, he wanted her to know that what he felt for her wasn't just some sort of fleeting feeling, he really cared for her, he wanted to be with her all the time, he couldn't stand the thought of not being around her, and he knew that the next basketball season was going to be an absolute killer because he would have to leave her when he had away games… but if he were to come home to their house, sleep in their bed, cook in their kitchen and shower in their bathroom, well somehow, that all seemed to make the thought of coming home all the better, he would be coming home to their life, not his life.

But as he watched her, he realised that she was taking steps away from him, which wasn't good. He said nothing to her, wanting to give her all the time that she needed to process the contract for the house that he had just given her. But then she took another step back, and then she must have realised that she couldn't move any further away from him, which was worrying Nathan considerably, as he didn't want her to want to put any distance between them, he wanted her to just jump into his arms and tell him how amazing it was that he had bought this house for them and that, of course, she would live with him, but it didn't seem that this whole situation was going to go the way that Nathan wanted it to go at all… because as he continued to look at her intently, he watched her begin to have a complete spasm attack and he couldn't help but groan inwardly, he definitely shouldn't have given her the contract here, he should have waited, it was too much for her to take in at once.

Haley tried not to freak out, she really didn't want to freak out, but how the hell could she not? A house? A home for them both? Wasn't it just ridiculously soon for them to be thinking about this kind of stuff? How did he know that they could even live together? What if she said yes, and then they moved in together and ended up completely hating each other and then had to end things? What if she said no to this house and then Nathan ended up being so hurt by the rejection of his offer that he ended things between them anyway? What if he had all these annoying habits that she couldn't live with and then ended up despising him because of it? Was there a right answer to this? What should she say to him? _Shit! _Haley thought to herself. She darted her eyes from left to right, finding herself completely blocked in by all the stupid tourists who were up against the railings with her, admiring the views, which was what she had been doing about five minutes ago before Nathan had thrown what she thought was a completely ludicrous offer at her, one that she really had not been expecting at all, one that she didn't know if she was ready for. She tried to block out all the noise and concentrate on her breathing, but as she listened to her breathing, she found that she was breathing so fast she thought she was going to pass out, which scared her because the last thing she wanted to do was pass out at the top of the Eiffel Tower. So she scrapped that idea and concentrated on her heart rate, but that was no good either, as her heart was beating so quickly she was sure that her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She knew that she needed to calm down, she had to otherwise things were going to get bad and she really would end up on the floor at the top of a very tall tower, so she turned away from Nathan and rested her hands on the railings, taking a step back and bending down so her head was between her arms and she concentrated on breathing deeply, praying that this would help reduce her heart rate.

_Oh fuck! _Nathan thought to himself as he watched Haley turn away from him and lean against the railings. He was officially getting worried about her now, he didn't want to say anything to her which would make this panic attack any more serious but he had to make sure that she was okay. He took a tentative step towards her and reached out to her with his hand, moving it slowly towards her, not wanting to startle her with his touch. He didn't know what the hell this all meant, and was dying for her to tell him what she was thinking, but he knew that she would when she was ready, and he also knew that she just needed him to forget about it all for the moment, which was exactly what he wished he could do, forget that the whole thing had happened, just erase the last couple of minutes that had transpired between them. Everything had been going so perfectly before he had given her the stupid contract, it was so typical of him to ruin things when they were fine as they were. But the fact that he had spoilt tonight didn't change the fact that he still wanted this, he still wanted her to live with him. "Hales." He said softly just as he lightly placed his hand on the small of her back. He started moving his hand over her back, in what he hoped was a soothing motion, wanting to help calm her down. He really needed her to talk to him now though, as his own breathing was starting to get as quick as hers, the anxiety was killing him; he never was good at being patient, even when he knew that he had to be.

Haley knew that she needed to start talking to him soon, it wasn't fair to do this to him, but she honestly didn't know what to say. She should just tell him what she was thinking but that would be too difficult for her to do at the moment, as she didn't have a fucking clue what she thought about the whole thing. She was a complete mix of emotions, excited that he wanted this for them, scared that it wouldn't work out, pissed that he had just bought them a house without consulting with her first, happy that he had bought them a house without talking to her… her brain was just a complete mess. She took a few calming breaths and then turned back around to face him, and was met with his gorgeous blue eyes that held nothing but concern and love for her and she sighed. She was overreacting to the whole thing, she knew that. "Nathan, I'm sorry, it's just this is all such a shock, I had no idea that you had done that, I mean, a house is just…" She struggled to find the word she was looking for.

"Hales, I know, I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have just thrown it out there like that, I should have talked to you properly about it before I did anything, but I was, am, so excited about it that I couldn't wait to tell you." Nathan admitted with a small smile. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her back into him, hugging her to his chest and burying his head in her hair, just taking the time to breathe in her beautiful scent and in that moment, he knew that it didn't really matter if they lived together or not right now, all he wanted was her. "It's okay if you don't want this Haley."

Haley closed her eyes at his words, shaking her head at how understanding of her he was, realising just how much she loved him, because it was clear that this was something that he really did want for them, but he was willing to sacrifice what he wanted if she wasn't completely one hundred percent happy with the idea. She pulled away from him, placing the earrings and papers into one hand and brought her now free hand up to softly stroke his cheek, loosing herself in his eyes. "You are amazing, Nathan Scott. I really do love you." She whispered before leaning up on her tip toes and placing a soft kiss on his lips, before pulling away and resting her head on his chest again, still trying desperately to work her way through the maze that was her brain, trying to sort through her thoughts.

Nathan couldn't help the smile that swept over his face at her words. He really would be content to listen to her whisper that she loved him for the rest of time, and he would die an incredibly happy man, knowing that the most amazing woman in the world loved him. It was the most incredible feeling that washed over him when he heard those words. And whether she decided that she did want this house or not, he wouldn't mind either way. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I really do love you too." He muttered. "Come on; let's get back down to ground level." He said as he pulled away from her, placing a lock of her hair behind her ear and then kissing her on the lips before leading the way to the elevators.

Once they had made their way down to the ground, they walked through the gardens surrounding the Eiffel Tower in complete silence. Haley was snuggled into Nathan's side and his arm was wrapped around her so tightly, he was surprised that he wasn't hurting her. But he wanted her to be as close as possible to him. Once they had walked around for a while, he started to lead them towards the road and hailed a taxi for them, asking to take them back to the hotel which they were staying at.

Haley had just walked into the hotel room and flopped down on the bed. She still didn't know what the hell to think about the house thing, and was fully aware that she hadn't given him an answer yet, and she was even more surprised that he was being so patient with her, which she completely appreciated as time was exactly what she needed at the moment. She watched as he walked to the kitchen area of their suite and pulled out a bottle of wine, and poured them each a glass and handed one to Haley, before he walked out onto the balcony. Haley took this opportunity to actually read the contract for the house he had bought for them, taking her time as she sipped on the wine, willing herself to make a decision about the whole thing, trying to convince herself that she didn't need to be scared shitless about the whole damn thing.

Nathan leaned against the balcony, watching the world go by. He couldn't believe that he had done that to her, how he had just thrown the idea of them living together out there like it was a decision that could be made on the spot, but he couldn't help it either. He wanted everything with this girl, he was experiencing things and feelings that he didn't even know existed and although he was sorry about the way he had given the contract to her, he wasn't sorry for wanting to live with her. All she had said to him was that it was a shock, and that she loved him. But he didn't have a fucking clue what that meant. If she didn't want the house then he would just sell it, it wasn't a big problem, but he really hoped that she did, the house was just perfect for them, he knew it, and he hoped that she would consider seeing it because once she took one look at it he knew that she would fall just as in love with the house as he had. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a huge sigh.

"That's an awfully long sigh." Haley said as she stepped out onto the balcony with her wine and the contract in her hands.

Nathan jumped at the sound of her voice, not realising that she had come out onto the balcony with him. He immediately turned around and smiled at her. She really was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on and he knew that he was the luckiest man on the planet to be able to call her his girlfriend. "Haley, I'm so sorry about how I threw that all on you up there, I completely understand if you need more time to think about it." He said softly, he wanted her to know that he would wait as long as she needed to make a decision about this; he didn't want to rush her into doing something that she might later regret.

"Nathan. Stop apologising about it okay?" Haley said as she took another step closer to him. "I've just been reading through the contract, and… you have to know that I love you so much and I do want this for us."

Nathan could hear the 'but' coming and it was something that he didn't want to hear without having the chance to explain himself to her. "Haley I love you too and I want this for us, I want to live with you, and I know if you go and look at the house, you'll just love the one I picked out for us, I really think we could be happy there. I know I shouldn't have just bought it without talking to you first but it really is perfect."

Haley smiled at him and took a deep breath before admitting to him what was holding her back. "Nathan, I'm just scared that this is all happening a bit too fast. I mean living together is a really big deal." She said as she played with her wine glass.

"I know it is a big deal Haley, and I don't think that any of this is happening too fast at all. I don't have much experience in any of this stuff but all I know is what I feel, and what I want… and I want to live with you." He stated simply, hoping that she understood as he shrugged his shoulders. It really was that simple to him.

Haley sighed and looked into her wine glass, hoping to find some sort of divine inspiration. She really did want this, but there was that fear at the back of her mind that kept calling out to her, taunting her that something bad was going to happen if she said yes, well it had too right, nothing was ever that simple, something always went wrong in the end. But she had to quash her fears, which were completely irrational because although people had said that their relationship could never work, she was here, with Nathan Scott, who loved her, and she loved him, and nothing had gone wrong so far, except for a couple of minor hiccups which they were able to work through, and that was the whole point to a relationship, wasn't it, you worked through problems together, and she was sure that they would be able to face anything bad that were to happen together, like the sensible, mature adults that they were. She looked up from her wine glass and stared at Nathan. She could feel how much he wanted this and she hoped that he could feel it from her too. But there was something else that was bothering her about it all. "Nathan, if we do this, if we live together, you have to let me pay for half of that house."

Nathan's eyes went wide. "Haley, it's a present from me, you're not going to pay for any of it." He stated.

"Well then what is the point of us getting a new place, why don't I just move into your house or you move into mine?" Haley threw back at him. It made perfect sense to her, if he wanted this, then she was going to pay her way, everything had to be equal.

"The reason for the new place is because it would be a new start for us, together, your house is all you, and my house is all me, and I want us to have a place that is us. And besides, your house is yours; it would feel weird for me to live there." Nathan explained.

"Exactly Nathan! That is precisely how I would feel living in the new house. You bought it, so it's yours, not mine, and I would feel weird living in it if I knew that I hadn't paid for half of it. Why can't I pay for half of it so that it's ours?" Haley questioned.

Nathan shook his head. "I told you Haley, the house is part of your birthday present. I don't want you to pay for half of it." He said. He really wished that she would just accept the damn house for what it was, a gift, and receivers of gifts don't pay for them, and besides, living with her would make him so happy that he would feel almost guilty if she paid for any of it.

"Well then I don't want the house." Haley said stubbornly, placing her wine glass down on the table and folding her arms across her chest so that he knew just how serious she was about it. "You can either allow me to pay for half of it, or I won't move into that new house with you Nathan."

Nathan let out an exasperated sigh. As much as he loved her, she really could be as stubborn as a fucking mule sometimes. He placed his wine glass down on the same table and folded his own arms across his chest, mimicking her pose. "No Haley, I want you to live with me but there is no way that you're paying for half of it."

"If you want me to live with you then you're going to have to let me pay for half it." Haley stated indignantly.

Nathan took a deep breath as he took in her posture, and he knew that she wasn't going to cave on this, she had that look in her eyes, but he had to try, he really didn't want her paying for the damn house, she could be so infuriating! "God Haley!" Nathan cried out. "You can be so fucking stubborn sometimes! Why can't you just let me do this for us?"

Haley was slightly taken aback by his outburst, up until that point, they were more or less discussing it but it seemed that he had reached his breaking point. "Because if it's our house, then it should be ours, not yours." Haley replied, folding her arms even tighter around herself, she knew that what she was saying made complete sense to her, now she just had to convince Nathan that it made sense.

"It will be ours Haley!" Nathan said. "It's just that…"

"No it won't be ours Nathan, it will be yours, and I'm not going to live in your house, I want to live in our house." Haley interrupted him.

"Why does that even matter?" Nathan threw at her.

Haley sighed. "What happens if we move in and then sell our houses and then somewhere along the way we break up? Who gets the house Nathan? You. And then I'll be homeless!" Haley shouted.

"God almighty Haley! You're fucking crazy! I've just asked you to move into the house that I bought for us and you're already talking about us breaking up and you being homeless!" Nathan shouted, completely exasperated with this whole situation now.

"I'm not fucking crazy Nathan, I'm sensible." Haley threw back at him. And it was sensible, she didn't want to be left with no home if they ever broke up, not that they would, well she hoped that they wouldn't but just in case…

"Keep your fucking old house then Haley, because there is no way I'm letting you pay for the new house if that is your reasoning for wanting to pay for half of it." Nathan stated with an air of finality. He didn't want to argue with her like this on her birthday, but she made it so difficult sometimes.

"Well I will be fucking keeping my old house Nathan, to live in. Because there is no way I'm moving into that new house if you own all of it." Haley said defiantly.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at her, glaring at her and shook his head. He had been right when he said that she had that look in her eyes, and him trying to explain why he didn't want her to pay for the house seemed to have only made her more determined not to live there if she didn't pay her fucking way. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips when he thought about how ridiculous this whole argument was. All he wanted was to live with her, and somehow, her wanting to pay for it had caused what should have been a small molehill for them to get over, into this mountain of an argument. And then the more he thought about it, the more he laughed, because he knew that it was just how they were, they were both as stubborn as each other, and if they needed to, he knew that they would both stand outside on this balcony until it was time for them to fly home arguing over the same points, because neither of them would back down, he wouldn't give up and Haley would never back down and that was one of the many reasons why he loved her, she had an opinion and she made damn sure that you knew what it was.

Haley rolled her eyes at Nathan, wondering what the hell he thought was so funny about this. If he was laughing at her, then she was going to completely blow a fuse because she was serious about paying for it, and if he thought it was some kind of joke then he had another fucking thing coming. "What the fuck are you laughing at?" Haley said sharply.

Nathan was now full on laughing at her, at himself, at them both; especially given the snide way she had just addressed him, which was further proof of just how obstinate she was. His arms moved further down himself so that he was now clutching onto his stomach, trying to stop his laughing but he couldn't. "Hales... this… is… so… stupid!" He managed to get out in between his laughter.

"This is not fucking stupid Nathan. I am not joking around here… I will not move into that house unless you let me pay for half of it." Haley shouted at him, she couldn't believe that he was calling this thing stupid, it was not stupid, it was how she felt about the situation and if he wasn't going to respect how she felt about it, well, she was going to be far from happy, in fact, she was already far from happy about it all.

Nathan managed to calm his laughter down a little, although he was still laughing at them both. He took a step towards Haley and watched as her eyebrow raised, which he knew meant, 'why the fuck are you coming any closer to me', then as he took another step towards her, he saw her mouth tighten and he couldn't help but laugh again, which earned him a 'you better shut the fuck up now' glare from her. Eventually he closed the distance between them and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, to which she opened her mouth, and he knew that she was going to start shouting again, so before she could start with the yelling, he placed his index finger on her lips, hoping that she wouldn't start with the screaming again, and it worked. "Haley I know that you are not joking, and I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at us because I know that we will both shout and scream about this until we are both blue in the face and not get anywhere."

Haley opened her mouth again to argue with him, but it was pointless, because he was right, they really would just stand out her and argue until… well she didn't know when, so she stood there quietly. She looked into his eyes, and could see him looking at her like he wanted her to give up. But there was no way she was backing down on this one.

Nathan watched as Haley looked at him, and knew what that look that she had thrown at him meant. There really was no way that she was going to concede about this. He sighed and moved his index finger from her mouth and placed his hand back on her shoulder, before pulling her close to him, moving his hands down her arms and then wrapping them around her waist and then placing a kiss on the top of her head, before sighing into her hair. "Fine. If you have to pay for half of this house to live in it, you can." He mumbled into her head.

Haley pulled away from his grasp and couldn't help the small smile that played across her face. "Sorry, what was that?" She asked him, wanting to hear him say it properly so that she would know that he meant it.

Nathan smiled at her and shook his head, knowing that she wanted him to say it again. "You heard me."

"I don't think I did so could you possibly repeat it?" Haley said, grinning stupidly now.

Nathan laughed at her and pulled her in closer. "You can pay for half of the damn house." He said as he pulled her in towards his lips.

"Really?" Haley said excitedly.

"Yes really." Nathan mumbled as he rolled his eyes at her. He should have just given up right at the start and saved them all that arguing.

"Oh my god!" Haley squealed and jumped up and down on the spot. "We're going to live together?!"

Nathan laughed at her excitement. "Yes we are, now stop jumping around and give me a kiss."

Haley stopped jumping up and down and smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leant up to capture his lips with hers. She kissed him softly a couple of times before she started to move her mouth over his, feeling his move right along with hers. She felt his grip on her tighten, pulling her in closer to him, and then she felt his tongue sweep over her bottom lip and she instantly opened her mouth for him, moaning into him when she felt his tongue touch hers. She could never get enough of his kisses.

As soon as Nathan felt his tongue connect with Haley's, he completely lost it, just like he always did, he didn't know what it was but there was something about Haley that just turned him into a complete animal where sex was concerned. His hands started running up and down her back as he felt her arch into him and then he heard her moan, and he could never tire of hearing sounds like that come from her, they were just so damn sexy.

Haley felt Nathan's hands move all over her back, over her ass and down her legs, until he reached the hem of her dress, and then he moved his hands underneath it and started moving them back up her legs, until he reached the centre of her legs. She gasped into his mouth when she felt his feather light touch just brush over her lace panties and then yelped a little in surprise when he moved them over to the right hand side of the balcony, lifting her up and sitting her down on the ledge, which had a brick wall covered with a climbing plant behind her, all the while continuing to kiss her hungrily.

Nathan moved his hands to the edge of her panties and pulled away from her mouth, allowing them both some much needed breathing time, but he couldn't keep his mouth of her for more than a second and so started to move his mouth to her neck and nipped and licked his way over her skin. He gripped the edge of her panties with both of his hands and slowly moved his hands down her legs, taking the panties with him and once he had them off her, he threw them to the floor and spread her legs open with his knees, standing in between them. He then started running his hand seductively back up her leg and under the hem of her dress, and then lightly ran his finger over her clit, before he moved his finger further down into her wet folds, rubbing his finger around her entrance in a circular motion, being very careful not to enter her, almost groaning at how wet and ready she was for him.

"God Nathan!" Haley cried out as she fisted her hands into his hair and pulled his mouth back up to hers and taking his mouth hungrily, trying to distract herself from what he was doing to her, but it didn't work. All she could concentrate on was the feeling of his finger, taunting her, teasing her, not fucking entering her like she wanted it too. She wiggled her ass closer to the edge of the ledge she was seated on, hoping that the action would mean that his finger just accidentally slipped inside of her, but she wasn't so lucky, and Nathan seemed to know exactly what she was trying to do, because he pulled his finger and his mouth from her completely and smiled knowingly at her.

"What do you want Hales?" He whispered huskily in her ear, while his finger ran over her knee, knowing exactly what she wanted, but he wanted to hear her say it, just purely for the fact that it would turn him on even more so than he already was.

God she wished he didn't sound so fucking sexy all of the fucking time! She gulped and shivered when she felt his finger slide a little way up her leg as well as his hot breath tickling her neck as he leaned back into her, he had no idea how crazy he made her when he got like this.

"Do you want my fingers inside of your pussy?" He whispered hotly.

Haley couldn't help the moan that escaped from her lips as she thought about what he was whispering to her about. Fuck yes; she wanted his fingers inside of her. She tried to direct his mouth towards hers to show him just how much she wanted his fingers inside of her, but he chose that moment to whisper in her ear again.

Nathan bought his tongue out and licked his way up her neck back towards her ear. He could feel her trying to tug his head but he was in control now and so he kept it right where it was, despite her moans of protest, or were they pleasure? He nibbled on her earlobe and then whispered in her ear again. "Or would you prefer my cock?"

She knew that he was teasing her, but she couldn't get enough of him talking to her like that. "Mmm, you know exactly what I fucking want Nathan." Haley moaned as she felt him lick her neck again. She reached her hands down to the top his trousers and began to undo the belt, and then undid the buttons and slid the zipper down, practically ripping the thing as she tugged it down. She grabbed onto his trousers and made sure that she had his boxers in her grasp too, and shoved them down his body, allowing his erection to spring free from its confines. She looked down and licked her lips at the sight of his hard cock, totally ready for her, and then looked right back at him with a sexy smile on her face. "It looks like you want the exact same thing too."

Nathan moaned at Haley's words, because the truth was, he did want exactly what he knew she wanted and then he felt her hand reach down and grab his cock, rubbing up and down it before she moved it towards her entrance, pushing him just inside of her, and then he couldn't think of anything other than the need to be completely inside her. He brought his hands down to her hips and rested them there, before he leant down and kissed her neck as he pushed himself all the way inside of her, causing both of them to moan out loud and then started moving in and out of her at a furious pace, unable to hold back at all.

"Shit Nathan." Haley cried out as she gripped onto his hair even tighter than she had been and started moving her hips in time with his thrusts. She loved the feeling of him being inside her, and as she felt him move in and out, she clenched her muscles around his length, which caused him to groan into her neck which he was sucking on.

God every time he entered her, he felt her clench those muscles of hers around him, he knew that he wasn't going to last much longer if she continued doing that, and he couldn't help but groan at the sensation of it. He dragged one of his hands down over her thigh and found her clit, which he started rubbing with his thumb, causing her to moan and then after a minute or so, he felt her orgasm overtake her body, enjoying the cries of his name that were falling from her lips and he soon joined her, spilling his load deep inside of her. He pulled back from her neck, panting heavily and peppered her lips with kisses, and then rested his forehead against hers while they both calmed down.

Once their breathing had returned to a more normal rate, he then lifted Haley off the ledge and carried her back into the hotel room, setting her down on the floor, taking her dress and bra off and then stripping his own clothes off, and then he led them both to the bed, pulling her in close to him once they had laid down, wrapping his arms around her underneath the covers. He felt Haley snuggle into his shoulder and he placed a kiss on the top of her head, completely content and excited about returning back to their home, he couldn't wait to show her the house. "I love you Haley." He whispered.

"I love you too Nathan." Haley whispered back as she closed her eyes and began to fall asleep, laying in the arms of the most amazing man in the world, the man that she was going to live with. She couldn't help the silent scream of excitement that she let out as she scrunched her eyes closed, things were definitely moving along nicely.

**AN – There you go guys! So things are all good in Nathan/Haley land at the moment... but will they stay that way?! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the update, once again I'm sorry for how long it took me to get this chapter posted but I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Think About Me will be updated next, I'll start working on the next chapter of that tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that if you are reading that story too! x**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN – Okay so major apologies for how long it took for me to update this story. For some reason, this chapter just wouldn't come to me, and although I know where this story is going, I was just having difficulty trying to work out how to get to the next major plot point through the next couple of chapters, so I decided to wait until it came to me naturally rather than trying to force it out of me, and now I have a more detailed plan, which is a good thing! I did try writing this chapter a lot earlier on but I came up with absolute rubbish and so I deleted it all. So once again, I'm really sorry for taking so long with this but I would rather wait and give you something that resembles something kind of decent rather than just update for the sake of updating, if that makes any sense, so thanks for your patience.**

**And thanks to Kelly for looking over this for me! I owe you big time honey!**

**Right, as always thanks so much to those of you who don't have accounts but reviewed the last chapter, even if it seems like an age ago! Shelley – Yeah I think it's important to show that although they are this famous couple, they are trying to have a normal relationship, which means you sometimes argue! I hope you like this chapter! Andrea – wow, well done for reading this in two days! I'm glad you like the story and I hope you like the update!**

**Oh and I also have a one shot which I wrote over the weekend and have just put on the site this week called 'High Heels and Blushes', so I hope you all head over to my profile and enjoy it, it's my first ever one shot so I'm quite excited about it! I wrote it after Rebecca asked me to write something for The Den of Pleasure and Hidden Fantasies contest, so get reading, after you've read this update of course! I want to thank those of you who left feedback for High Heels and Blushes here, I'm amazed by how well it was received and I had so much fun writing it! As for a sequel to it, I'm not sure but we'll see, if I get some free time, then maybe I will, but I don't want to promise anything…**

**Right, on with the story, I hope you all like the update. I know it's long overdue...**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Nathan looked out of the window of the private jet, which was currently taking both him and Haley back to New York after their trip to Paris for her birthday. He sighed contently to himself as he looked down at Haley who was currently leaning against his shoulder and was fast asleep. He knew that he would need to wake her up very soon, given that there could only be half an hour at the most left until they landed, and although he was eager to get off the plane and show her the house he had bought for them, the very one that would now become their home, part of him really didn't want to have to wake her, for she looked so peaceful laying against his body. He smiled as he continued to look down at her and brought his thumb up to gently stroke her cheek. He couldn't believe how happy he'd become, how complete he felt when he was with her. He honestly considered himself to be the luckiest man on the planet to have such a wonderful and beautiful girl in his arms, a girl that was all his, a girl with whom he now shared a home with. Life just didn't get any better than this, he was sure of it.

"Mr Scott, we'll be landing in fifteen minutes so you need to put your seatbelts on now." The air hostess informed him quietly, smiling down at Haley, indicating that he would need to wake her up and get her seated in her own seat, rather than laying half on his.

"Thank you." Nathan whispered back to the air hostess, not wanting to wake Haley up just yet. He continued stroking her cheek and then leaned down to place a light kiss on her lips.

Haley's eyes fluttered open when she felt something against her lips, and she was greeted with the gorgeous blue eyes of her boyfriend looking lovingly at her. She smiled and stretched her arms above her head, trying to wake herself up a little. "Hey." Haley said softly, her voice still a little groggy from her nap.

"Hey baby, we're landing in about ten minutes, so you need to fasten your seat belt." Nathan informed her as he leaned back down towards her, unable to resist stealing another kiss from her, she looked too damn cute right now, well in fact, she was too damn cute all of the time for him to ever be able to resist her.

This time when Haley felt his lips land softly on hers, she kissed him back; her arms came back down from their stretch and landed on his shoulders, pulling him in closer to her, she wanted more from him. She couldn't help herself as she ran her tongue softly over his lips, silently asking for entry, which he readily granted to her. She moaned softly into him as she slid her tongue into his mouth and gently started to caress his tongue with her own.

Nathan could literally kiss Haley every second of every day; he would be more than content to spend the rest of his life kissing her like this, as it was quite honestly the best feeling in the world to have her lips against his. However, he knew that if he didn't stop things now, firstly, he would want more, which wouldn't be very smart when they were just about to land, and secondly, he needed to get Haley's seatbelt fastened, so he pulled away from her mouth reluctantly. "Baby, you really need to put your seatbelt on." He whispered against her lips, his breathing heavy from the kiss he had just shared with her.

Haley groaned as she pushed herself off him, really not wanting the kiss to end but she knew that he was right, and so she got herself a little more comfortable in her seat and then fastened her seatbelt around her. She glared at Nathan as he chuckled at her. "Happy now?" She asked him.

Nathan continued chuckling at her and snaked his arm around her shoulder, pulling her back towards him. "I'm very happy." He whispered into her hair as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Haley forgot that she was slightly pissed off at Nathan for ending their kiss far too soon and melted against his side. "Me too." She whispered into his chest. "Thank you Nathan, for Paris and…for everything."

"You are more than welcome Hales." Nathan replied as he felt the plane descend towards the small airport where they would be landing. He was so excited, he couldn't wait to show Haley the new house, and he knew that she would just love it. He honestly couldn't wait to start this new chapter of both of their lives together, there was no one on the planet he would want to do this with, no one was more perfect for him, he was so sure of that.

~*~

Nathan was far too eager to get to the house, so instead of having the car take them back to one of their homes to drop off the luggage and then head over to the new place, he had the driver take them straight to the new house. They could drop the luggage off later, he reasoned with Haley, he just wanted to get there as quickly as possible, he wanted her to see it, and he really hoped that she liked the house, that was the most important thing to him right now. Laundry could wait.

"Nathan, I don't see why we couldn't have dropped the bags off at least before coming here, we just practically drove past my house." Haley chided him playfully as she shook her head at how excited he seemed to be. "The house will still be exactly where you left it, you know, it won't have walked off somewhere." She teased as the car turned down a private road.

"I know but I really can't wait for you to see it Hales." Nathan responded, wrapping his arm around Haley's waist, pulling her over to his side of the back seat of the limo and placing a kiss on her cheek as she looked up at him. "If you don't like any of the décor or whatever, just say, and we can hire some people in to paint it and stuff, or if you want we can get some designer to come and sort it all out…"

Haley rolled her eyes at him and promptly shut him up by placing a kiss on his lips. "Nathan please just calm down!" She teased. "And besides, I'm sure that house is fine as it is, and if we want to make some changes, we do not need some designer, nor do we need to hire a painter, I am perfectly capable of decorating myself thank you very much, and so are you."

"I'm sorry I just want it to be perfect for us." Nathan responded while looking deeply into her eyes.

"I'm sure it will be perfect Nathan. But to be honest I don't really care where we live, as long as I'm with you." Haley said sincerely as she leaned back into him and placed a light kiss on his lips, before feeling the car slow down to a halt.

Nathan pulled away and smiled down at her. "I know, I feel the same way, but I still want you to like it. Are you ready to check it out?" He asked as he swept her hair out of her face and secured it behind her ear.

"Yep, I sure am!" Haley responded excitedly as the driver opened the door for them both to get out of the car.

Nathan climbed out of the car and held his hand out to help Haley step out of the car. Once she was standing, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to his chest. "Welcome to our new home Hales." He whispered in her ear.

Haley's eyes were darting from left to right, taking in the new surroundings. "That's the house?" She asked as she pointed to the house that was standing in front of them.

"Yes that's the house. What do you think?" Nathan asked her nervously. He wasn't sure what the tone of her voice meant and he desperately wanted to know if she liked the house or not. "If you don't like it I'm sure we can sell it or something." He hastily added, wanting to cover his back just in case she didn't like it for some reason. He thought it was perfect for them, but he had no idea what she was thinking right now, and it was making him anxious.

"Nathan it's huge!" Haley exclaimed as she took in the massive house she was currently looking at, actually, house was not the right word to describe what she was seeing in front of her, mansion was more like it.

"Shit you don't like it do you?" Nathan muttered as he ran his free hand through his hair nervously. _Fuck. _He thought to himself. He had just accepted a shit load of money from Haley to pay for a house that she didn't even like. He mentally kicked himself for going behind her back with this whole buying a house thing, it should have been a decision that they had made together.

"Nathan I didn't say that I didn't like it, I just said that it's huge! Which it is… but it also looks amazing." Haley told him as she looked around at what was going to be their new neighbourhood and saw that the entire road was filled with houses of a similar size to the one that was theirs. She noticed that one of their neighbours was out on the front lawn doing some gardening, and waved at them both, so Haley waved back and smiled. "Come on, I'm dying to see the inside." Haley said as she took Nathan's hand in hers and led the way up the path towards the front door.

Nathan put the key in the door and opened it, ushering Haley inside, all the while keeping his eyes glued to her face, for he wanted to gauge her reaction to the inside. He barely noticed the driver leaving their bags in the hallway and slipping out of the front door. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure that she was completely sold on the idea of living here; he really wanted to make sure that she was happy with it.

Haley's mouth dropped open once she walked inside and then her whole face lit up with a huge smile. "Nathan it's perfect." Haley sighed as she took in the grand hallway. The floor was made of marble and there was a huge staircase leading up to the first floor, and there were several doors leading off the hallway into other rooms on the ground floor.

Nathan smiled tentatively at her, he was pleased with her reactions this time, that smile was what he had been hoping for; he just wanted her to love it as much as he did. "You sure you like it?" He asked, not really needing an answer from her for it was clearly written across her face.

"Nathan… I love it." Haley answered him, whilst walking over to one of the many doors that led off the hallway. "So what's through here?" She asked as she placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door into what she presumed was the dining room, which looked out over the front of the house. She couldn't wait to see what the whole house looked like and how many rooms there were, her imagination was already running wild with what the place would look like with furniture in it.

Nathan followed Haley through all the rooms on the ground floor, watching her entire face light up even more with each new room that she walked into. He couldn't help that feeling of complete excitement at being able to share this with her from building up even more than it already had been before, he really couldn't wait until they picked out furniture together and could actually start living in the house.

Once they had completed the tour of the ground floor, Haley followed Nathan up the stairs as he started to show her the many bedrooms that the house had. She walked into the fifth bedroom, which appeared to be the master bedroom and if she had correctly discounted the doors they had previously walked through, this was also the last room they had to look at. "So I take it this is our room?" Haley asked as she walked further into the room and turned around to face Nathan once she had reached the middle of the empty room.

"Yep, this is the master bedroom. There's a huge walk in closet over there," Nathan explained as he pointed to one of the doors on the left hand side of the room, "and the master bathroom is through that door over there." He finished as he pointed to another door on the same side of the room, then rested his gaze on Haley and smiled at her. "So you've completed the grand tour now, what do you think? Honestly." He asked as he walked towards her, stopping just in front of her and taking both of her hands in his.

"Honestly." Haley said as she closed the distance between them. "Like I said earlier, it's just perfect Nathan. Although I do wonder what you think we need all this space for, it's only the two of us after all." Haley said as she continued to take in the master bedroom, her eyes wandering around the room as she mentally placed some furniture in the room, thinking about where she wanted their new bed to go.

"Well, we need all these rooms for when we fill them up with babies." Nathan answered as he brought Haley's hands around his hips and let go of them, leaving hers there as he moved his own around her waist and pulled her in closer to him.

Haley's eyes immediately snapped back to concentrate on Nathan. "I'm sorry what did you just say?" She asked, wondering if she had heard him right, he did just say 'babies', didn't he?!

"I said that we're going to need the extra rooms for when we have children." Nathan responded casually as he started to lean his head down to kiss Haley.

Haley leaned back from him when she felt him begin to lean towards her. "Children?" She questioned him. "We haven't even started to live together, and you're already talking about us having kids?" Haley asked, wondering how the hell he had managed to even think about something like that. Sure she had entertained the idea of having kids with Nathan, she was organized and liked planning things in her life, but she wondered when they had moved into the talking about children territory. And also, she was shocked as hell that Nathan Scott of all people, was talking about having children.

"Well I don't mean right this very moment, obviously…" Nathan began as he tried to pull Haley back to him.

"Well good!" Haley cut in as she struggled against his strength, trying to keep a little distance between them. "You honestly think about things like that? About us having children?" She asked.

Nathan looked down at Haley, a frown coming across his forehead. "Well yeah, I want children someday, and I know that I love you and want to be with you, so yes, I have thought about having children with you." Nathan stated. "Again with the whole, not right yet thing though."

Haley raised her eyebrow and laughed at him.

Nathan's frown grew even deeper. "What's so funny?" He asked.

Haley continued giggling. "I'm sorry, it's just I can't believe that you just talked about having children. Mister Playboy himself… who the hell would have thought it?" Haley teased.

Nathan laughed along with her. When he thought about it, it was quite amusing. If someone had told him a couple of months ago that he would want to live with a woman and talk about a future, involving children, he would have laughed in their face. "Well, I guess when you put it like that…" Nathan said in between his own chuckles. "But all that Mister Playboy stuff, well that was before I met you. You are the only person I could ever want now." He continued, getting serious as he grabbed Haley and pulled her into his chest, not letting her lean away from him this time. "What about you, have you thought about having children someday?" He asked.

"Yeah I have, someday." Haley answered as she pulled away from Nathan's chest slightly and looked deeply into his blue eyes.

"Well that's good then." Nathan said as he smiled down at her, leaning his head down to place a kiss on her lips, before pulling away from her slightly, his smile turning into a cheeky grin as he began to walk them both backwards.

"Nathan what are you doing?" Haley asked in between giggles as she allowed him to guide her back into the room.

Nathan didn't answer until he had her up against the wall of the bedroom. "Well I'm thinking that we need to practice a hell of a lot before these children come along." He eventually answered her in a husky voice as he pushed his body up against hers and captured her lips in a hungry kiss, forcing his tongue inside of her mouth before she even had a chance to open her lips. He'd been a little miffed that Haley had slept the whole of the way back on the flight, he had been planning on joining the mile high club with her, because, what better way of doing that was there than being in your own private jet? But pretty much as soon as the flight had got in the air, she had fallen asleep. So he had been wanting to be inside of her ever since they walked onto the damn jet however many hours ago that was and he couldn't wait a second longer, any patience he had exercised on that plane had well and truly vanished by now.

Haley moaned into his mouth, she could feel his hands running along her sides and she curved her body into him, her own arms coming up to wrap around his neck as she continued to kiss him back just as hard as he was kissing her. She could feel his arousal pressing into her stomach through his trousers and that caused another moan to escape from her lips. However, the need to breathe soon became a necessity, and so she pulled away from his mouth and leaned her head back against the wall, giving Nathan the opportunity to move his mouth down to her neck. She wrapped her hands up in his hair and closed her eyes. God he was so good with his mouth.

She tasted so good. Every single inch of her tasted so fucking good. He just couldn't get enough of her. His mouth was moving over the skin of her neck, nipping, biting and sucking on every bit he could get a hold off, until he eventually worked his way around to the side of her neck, and used his tongue to trace around her pulse point before sucking down on her.

Haley's breathing had significantly increased in pace. She curved her body into him further, wanting to feel him against her. She held his head in place and opened her eyes again, suddenly a wicked thought crossing her mind; it was time for her to have a little fun with him. She pulled his head off her neck and watched the confused expression spread across his face. "Nathan, come on, not now, I stink of aeroplane, let me have a shower first, please." Haley moaned.

"You smell great baby." Nathan answered as he started to lean back into her. Was she being serious right now? He desperately needed her, and he couldn't smell any aeroplane on her, all he could smell was the gorgeous scent that was just her, she was talking crazy.

Before his head got any closer to her neck, Haley rolled away from him. "Nathan, I don't smell great at all. I need a shower to get rid of the aeroplane smell." Haley stated as she started walking away from him and headed downstairs to grab her wash bag from one of the suitcases that the driver had left in the hallway.

Nathan's mouth dropped open as he watched Haley walk out of the room. She couldn't be serious; she was going to make him wait even longer than he had already? He desperately needed her, right now, and she wanted a fucking shower. He sighed in frustration as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, wondering how the hell he was going to cope with having to wait another second to be with her, knowing that it was highly probable that he wouldn't be able to wait at all, in fact, it was a certainty. He was going to have to find some quiet alone time while she showered, he was craving some sort of release, and if she wasn't going to cooperate, well then he would have to take matters into his own hands… literally, despite how unappealing that seemed given that the alternative option was being inside of Haley. "Fucking aeroplane smell." He muttered to himself.

Haley walked back up the stairs with her wash bag in her hands and couldn't help the quiet giggle that escaped from her mouth as she watched Nathan mumble to himself. She walked quietly into the room and went up to the door that Nathan had said led to the bathroom. She opened the door, placed her wash bag in the shower and stripped her clothes off her body, before moving back to lean against the door frame with her right hand on her hips. "Nathan…" She called sexily to him.

Nathan's eyes instantly snapped open and he looked in the direction that he had heard Haley call his name, and groaned to himself. She really was torturing him, for there she stood, leaning against the door to the bathroom, completely naked, looking as sexy as ever, and instead of him being able to march over there and have his wicked way with her, she wanted to fucking shower.

Haley grinned at his reaction, which was exactly what she had wanted, and then sighed deeply. "I can't get the shower to work, can you help me?" She asked as she looked over at him from under her lashes.

"Stupid fucking shower." Nathan muttered. "Sure." He replied to her with a frustrated sigh as he walked over to where Haley was standing, trying to avert his eyes from her gloriously naked form, but rendering that idea completely useless given that they seemed to be glued to her body anyway, so he had no hope in hell of tearing them away from her.

Haley smiled to herself and watched Nathan walk past her as he headed over to the shower in the bathroom. She turned her body around and saw him fiddle with the shower, turning it on for her, which was something she could have easily done herself, but she wanted him to be in here with her. She walked over to him once he had turned back around to look at her and ran a finger down his chest, stopping just above the waistband of his jeans. "Thank you." She whispered as she walked past him and stepped into the shower, moaning when she felt the warm water trickle down her body.

Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was literally seconds away from ripping his clothes off his body, grabbing her from out of the shower, sitting her on the cabinet he had spied to the left of where he was standing and pounding himself into her. But she wanted a shower, so he was going to let her shower. _Just let her fucking shower. _He repeated to himself. He opened his eyes once he had calmed down a little, but promptly shut them again, for he had just seen Haley run her hands over her breasts. _Fuck. _He needed to get out of there, quickly.

Haley looked over to where Nathan was standing and watched as he turned around and started to walk back into the bedroom. She smiled to herself before calling out to him. "Nathan?"

Nathan stopped walking but didn't turn around, for Lord only knew where her hands had moved to now, and besides, another image of her standing under that water would most certainly be his undoing. "What?" He returned, his voice was strained and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. _Just let her fucking shower. _He repeated to himself.

"You also smell kind of bad." She said as she bit down on her lip. "I think you need to have a shower too."

Nathan was sure that he had just broken the world record for getting out of a pair of jeans, boxers and t-shirt in the quickest time possible. In a flash, he was opening the door to the shower and as soon as he got inside, he pushed Haley up against the wall and was kissing her frantically. "You are such a tease." He muttered against her lips as he pulled away from her slightly.

Haley giggled. "I know, but you love it don't you?" Haley answered as she smiled up at him.

Nathan smiled back down at her. "I don't love the teasing, but I do love you." He replied.

"I love you too." Haley answered as she reached up and pulled his head down to hers. "Now kiss me." She demanded when his lips were mere inches away from her own.

Nathan groaned against her mouth the moment his lips connected back with hers, his tongue snaked through his lips and started to run along her bottom lip, and then slid into her mouth when he felt her open up for him.

Haley's hands wandered down his back as she pushed his body closer to her, feeling the warm water from the shower trickle down his back as she did so. She pulled her mouth away from his when she needed to take a breath and felt him bend down and rest his forehead against hers. She looked up into his eyes and was met with his intense gaze staring right back at her, causing her to take a sharp breath.

Nathan tore his eyes away from Haley's and looked around the shower, finding her wash bag on the left hand side on the floor. He unwrapped his arms from around her waist and leaned down to pick the bag up off the floor. Once he had the bag in his hands, he found the shower gel and chucked the bag back on the floor.

Haley looked up at him. "Nathan, seriously? You want to wash right now?" She asked, confused as to why he hadn't picked her up and taken her right then and there, for that was the way the plan was supposed to go, he wasn't supposed to start washing himself.

Nathan opened the bottle and squeezed some of the gel into his hands, fastened the lid back on the bottle, threw it back onto the floor and then rubbed his hands together under the water, creating some lather. "Well yeah, you said that we smell, and we had to get cleaned up before we had sex, so I'm cleaning myself up and in the process making myself smell good." He returned casually as he started to run his hands over his chest.

Haley watched his hands as they moved over his fantastic body, she was absolutely hypnotised by him. She moaned when he turned his body around and washed the gel off his body under the water, giving her the most perfect view of his amazing ass. She sighed to herself, she guessed that he was getting his own back for her teasing of him earlier, but she was definitely enjoying the show. She leaned back against the wall and watched as his fabulous arms worked the bubbles off his body, and bit down on her lip as she continued to watch him get clean.

Nathan turned back around and looked at Haley watching him a smirk breaking out on his face. "Seen something you like baby?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Haley blushed and then reached down to grab the bottle of shower gel, needing to distract herself with something, only she found that Nathan had grabbed a hold of her arms and was pulling her back onto her feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked once he had her standing up straight again.

Haley looked up into his eyes and could see the mischievous sparkle they held, but she had no idea why. "I was just going to get the shower gel." She answered him truthfully.

Nathan spun Haley around and ran his arms down hers until he got to her hands, and leaned forward so that she was supporting herself with her hands placed on the shower wall. He ran his hands back up her arms and then once he got to her shoulders, he slipped them underneath her arms and found her breasts. "Now why would you need the shower gel?" He asked her as he rolled her nipples in between his thumb and forefinger.

Haley moaned as she felt him play with her nipples, he always felt so good, he knew exactly what to do to her to get her all worked up. She breathed in deeply and answered him. "To wash myself."

"Well there's no need for you to wash yourself yet Haley." Nathan answered as he bent his head down and kissed the top of her shoulder, before leaning into her ear. "Not when I plan on getting incredibly dirty with you." He said huskily in her ear.

"Oh really?" Haley teased back, loving the path that this conversation was obviously leading to. She could feel his cock against her back and she desperately wanted it inside of her.

"Yes really." Nathan answered as he pulled away from her slightly so that he could run his hands down her back. As soon as he got to her ass, he smirked as she widened her stance, allowing him all the access he needed as he ran his finger through her folds, finding her already soaking wet for him, and because he couldn't resist, he slowly slipped two of his fingers inside of her, hearing her groan out for him.

"Oh God, Nathan." Haley moaned as she felt his fingers move in and out of her, his pace quickening each time they returned inside of her, her breathing increasing in pace as she felt his fingers curve at the ends, hitting her right where she wanted him to.

Nathan couldn't take it any longer; his cock was itching to be inside of her, so he moved his hands to her waist and slipped his cock in between her legs, found her entrance and then pushed himself up into her. "Fuck Hales." He groaned as he pulled himself out of her and then began to rock his hips in a steady rhythm, picking up the pace after a few thrusts. She felt so damn good, but he needed more, he always needed more of her, nothing could ever be enough, so he increased the pace of his thrusts yet again, feeling her around him like this was just perfection.

Haley leaned heavily onto her hands as she pushed herself back to meet him every time he entered her. She could feel him hitting all the right spots, and couldn't help the moans that were escaping from her mouth.

Nathan could feel her muscles begin to clench around his cock, squeezing him inside of her, and he needed her to come quickly because there was no way that he was going to be able to last much longer. He moved his hand from her waist and reached down to find her clit and started to rub it with his fingers.

"Nathan…" Haley moaned as she breathed in a sharp breath and felt her climax begin to overtake her body, feeling Nathan's begin just after hers had started, hearing him moan her name repeatedly as he came.

Nathan leaned down to her back once his heartbeat had slowed down slightly and kissed her back as he removed himself from inside of her. He watched as Haley turned around to face him and placed a kiss on her lips.

Haley smiled and sighed contentedly to herself as she watched Nathan pull away from her, unable to hold back the giggle as he passed her the bottle of shower gel; she guessed it was time to get cleaned up.

~*~

Later that evening, Nathan and Haley found themselves sitting in a car, which was taking them to a restaurant in the city for dinner. They still hadn't returned to either of their homes and had no food in their new house, so they were both absolutely starving. Nathan laughed at Haley when he heard her stomach rumble for about the hundredth time.

"Nathan stop laughing at me, I can't help it if I'm hungry!" Haley said as she shook her head and folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him.

"Sorry Hales." Nathan chuckled.

Five minutes later, the driver had opened the door to the car and Nathan had stepped out first, and all Haley could see were the flashes of cameras as the press stood outside of the restaurant they were planning on eating in. She had no idea why they just stood outside of places, waiting for so called celebrities to arrive, it was crazy. She sighed as she allowed Nathan to help her out of the car, and hurried into the restaurant with him. She could have sworn that she heard one of them shout out something about a house but before she had time to process that, she found that she was inside the restaurant, and had thankfully left the chaos outside.

The waiter had led them to their table at the back of the room and Nathan had ordered some champagne, which the waiter was now pouring into their glasses. Nathan held Haley's hand over the top of the table and couldn't help grinning at her, his life was just absolutely perfect at the moment.

Haley lifted the champagne glass off the table when she saw Nathan doing the same thing, and she was waiting to hear what he had to say but she found that they were interrupted by someone.

"So what are you guys celebrating now? I thought Paris was your birthday present?"

Haley spun around in her chair to find Peyton standing with Jake by her side, his arm wrapped around her waist. Her eyes grew incredibly wide as she moved her gaze in between Jake and Peyton, wondering when the hell they had got together. But before she had a chance to process what was happening, she heard Nathan speak.

"We're not celebrating Haley's birthday anymore." Nathan answered, unable to hold back from telling Peyton what they were celebrating, he was so happy he wanted to share the news with the whole world.

Haley spun back around in her chair and looked at Nathan, trying to catch his gaze, but he was too busy getting excited about telling Peyton why they were drinking champagne. Haley literally wanted the ground to open up and swallow her, either that or gag Nathan with his napkin. She could already feel the wrath of Peyton descending over her like a big fat black cloud, and she really didn't want to hear that, not tonight. In fact, she didn't ever want to deal with what she knew was coming.

"We bought a house together." Nathan finished with an incredibly wide smile spread right across his face.

**AN – Alright guys, I wonder what Peyton's reaction is going to be to hearing that news?! We are gradually building up to the major drama in the story… I have been leaving hints as we have been going along, I wonder if any of you have picked up on what it's going to be about?!**

**As with the last chapter of Think About Me, I'll be offering a sneak peek for the next chapter of Kiss The Rain for those of you that want it, just let me know if you want me to send it to you by leaving me a review. I'll send it to you as soon as I have it written, that way it will give you something to read while I write up the next chapter.**

**Think About Me is coming up next, and will hopefully be posted soon…**

**Oh and just to remind you, go and check out my one shot if you haven't already! Thanks! x**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter (especially to naley2380 who didn't have an account and so I couldn't respond to the review personally, and I so pleased that you are enjoying this story)! I'm sorry for the time it took to update this story, while I was on holiday I wrote some of my other fic Think About Me, and as I was halfway through the chapter I decided to finish it off before coming back to this one, which is where the delay came from, as well as writing another one shot called Overtime, which seems like ages ago now so it must have been a very long time since I updated this fic!**

**Anyway, I sent the sneak peek for this chapter to those of you that asked for it, and I think some of you thought that was what the drama was going to be about… well it's probably a small part of it but definitely not all of it… but the drama is definitely coming up very very soon. And with that said, on with the story...**

**Thanks to Kelly for reading this through for me!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Nathan continued to beam up at both Peyton and Jake, the smile still clearly evident on his face, as he showed them both just how happy he was about the new development in his and Haley's relationship. As his eyes flicked down from Peyton and Jake to Haley, who was sitting opposite him still, he frowned as he saw the anger clearly registered on her face. He had no idea why she was looking at him like that, as far as he was concerned he had done nothing wrong, Peyton had asked what they were celebrating and he had told her the truth, he hadn't woven some web of lies that they now had to work themselves out of, he had just been honest, so what was her problem? He racked his brain for a reason as to why Haley was looking at him like she was about to stuff her napkin in his mouth, when it suddenly dawned on him, and he remembered who he was dealing with here. Peyton still wasn't sure about their relationship in fact; Peyton didn't like him at all. Oh shit. He really should have kept his mouth shut.

But there was nothing he could do about that now, so he shrugged at Haley and winced as he waited for the scene that Peyton would no doubt cause, in this very upmarket restaurant upon hearing the news that he and Haley now lived together, to begin.

Only it didn't.

"Congratulations guys!" Jake said as he smiled at Nathan and the back of Haley's head given that she was still sitting facing away from both him and Peyton, and then he proceeded to tighten his grip around Peyton's waist, pulling her in closer to him. "That's great news, isn't it babe?" He asked her as he kissed Peyton on the cheek.

All of a sudden it dawned on Nathan that his manager was standing in front of their table with his arm wrapped around the Ice Queen herself, and if that wasn't enough to completely shock him, he had then witnessed him calling her babe and kissing her cheek. His mouth dropped open as far as it possibly could. What the hell was going on? His eyes darted frantically between Jake and Peyton as he tried to understand what on earth they were doing going out together in the first place, let alone standing in a restaurant kissing each other, but before his brain had even half a second to process this vital new development, he honestly thought that his heart had stopped beating when he heard what Peyton had to offer both him and Haley next.

"Yeah it's wonderful news." Peyton said with a smile. "I'm really happy for you both."

If it were at all possible, Nathan was sure he felt his mouth drop open even further that it already was. Peyton Sawyer was being nice? To him? Why? He knew that she hated even the idea of Haley dating someone like him, let alone her actually dating him... and now after telling her that they were living together, she was happy about it? It just didn't make sense. This whole evening was just getting more bizarre by the second.

Haley froze completely when she heard what Peyton had just said. She wasn't sure she heard right, so just to be sure, she slowly spun around in her seat and faced her. "I'm sorry, what?" Haley asked, disbelief written all over her face, she was sure that she must have been hearing things.

Peyton smiled down at Haley. "I'm honestly happy for you both." She said again and then turned her head back to Jake and smiled at him too before she leant her head on his shoulder.

Jake smiled back at Peyton and then grabbed a passing waiter. "Can we get another bottle of champagne and two more glasses please?" He asked before turning his attention back to Nathan and Haley. "You don't mind if we join you both for a drink to celebrate this wonderful news, do you?"

Haley couldn't speak. She honestly had no idea what the hell was going on, or even if she was really here in this moment, because nothing actually made sense to her at all. She frowned as she tried to wrap her head around the fact that Peyton had just said that she was happy at the fact that she and Nathan had bought a house together, but somehow, it just wouldn't sink in. Not after everything that had been said between them both recently, she had been sure that Peyton would blow a fuse once she found out about this.

Nathan realised that Haley wasn't going to answer them both, so it was down to him to do the honours. He desperately wanted Haley to turn back around and face him so that he could read her expression and find out if she actually wanted Jake and Peyton to join them for drinks or not, especially as he had just blurted out the news that they had bought a house to them without her consent. He didn't really know what option would leave him in the dog house or which one would get him out of it. However, Haley still had her back turned to him, and as he looked up at Jake and Peyton, who were smiling down at them both like proud parents, he realised that it would be incredibly rude for him to say no. So he took a deep breath and answered them. "No, of course not." He then held his breath as he waited for Haley to spin back around and shoot him another one of her 'I'm going to kill you' looks, but thankfully, it never came.

Ten minutes later the champagne had been delivered and the second round of drinking had started. Haley could feel Peyton's eyes on her; she could feel her unrelenting gaze boring into herself as she continued to gulp down the champagne that Nathan continued to pour into her glass. The black cloud that she had feared earlier on now looked like it was going to explode right above her head, and drown her in Peyton's woes about her and Nathan's relationship, and she just wanted to run right out of the restaurant, she couldn't deal with it all right now. She didn't understand why Peyton couldn't just be happy for them both, she was happy, wasn't that all that mattered? However, she was soon interrupted from her reverie by Peyton.

"Haley, can I speak to you privately please?" Peyton asked sweetly as she nodded her head towards the bar located to the left of their table.

Haley couldn't help the fact that she was feeling sceptical, she knew that Peyton was being far too nice, and Haley knew what was coming; she knew that her true feelings about all this were mere moments away from being revealed. She did wonder why Peyton hadn't come right out and said what she really felt about the situation, she hadn't stopped herself from expressing her true feelings about her and Nathan's relationship at any point before. Maybe it was the fact that Jake was there, maybe he had some sort of calming effect on her? Haley pondered this to herself as she got up from the table and allowed Peyton to lead her towards the bar in the restaurant, leaving the boys behind at the table.

As soon as they had reached the bar, Haley started talking, wanting to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. "Look Peyton, I know you probably don't like this but I'm happy, Nathan's happy, we're happy…"

"Haley…" Peyton tried to interrupt her as she rolled her eyes at what Haley had thought she wanted to talk to her about, for she really was pleased for them both.

"And I just don't understand why you are so negative about this; I thought you were trying…" Haley continued but was interrupted once again by Peyton.

Peyton sighed and raised her voice a little so she could get Haley's attention. "While you were in Paris, details of your tour came through; you start touring in two months." She blurted out before Haley had a chance to continue her unnecessary rant.

Haley's mouth dropped open. Touring? She had completely forgotten in all that had been going on recently that she had a tour coming up. She and Nathan hadn't even spoken about it yet. She furrowed her brow as she realised that the tour meant being away from Nathan, being away from their brand new home for months. She didn't want to be away from him for months at a time, she wanted to see him every day; she didn't want to have to deal with a long distance relationship, not when everything was going so well for the both of them. She was working herself up as she thought about waking up in a tour bus, away from Nathan, staying in hotel rooms, without Nathan laying by her side, eating in restaurants, without Nathan sitting at the table opposite her, and she didn't like it one bit. She could feel the tears beginning to well in her eyes as she continued to torture herself with thoughts of being away from him. "But I don't want to go." Haley whispered as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

Peyton sighed. "Haley, you have to go, you know you do."

But why? Why did this have to come up now, when everything was moving along so perfectly for her and Nathan? And it wasn't even like he'd be able to come and visit her that much, if at all, because he would be incredibly busy playing basketball. It was all so messed up, they would hardly see each other at all. A part of her knew that she was being silly, this was her job, her career and she had responsibilities to her fans. But the selfish part of her just wanted to bask in the wonderfulness that was her and Nathan; she wanted to be there, in their house each evening dressed in her apron having just cooked Nathan's favourite meal after he came home from a hard day's work. She wanted normality and stability, but she knew that she would be an absolute fool to think that a relationship like theirs could ever be considered normal. So she needed to accept it, even if she didn't like it. She wiped the last of her tears and took a deep, steadying breath. "It's just that things have been going so well between us." She said quietly as she shook her head, hating the situation she now found herself in. She really didn't want to be away from him at all.

"Nathan will understand Haley." Peyton offered.

Nathan had been keeping a firm eye on Haley and Peyton. The last thing he wanted was for Peyton to upset her, not when they had been so happy before she and Jake had turned up. He furrowed his brow as he watched them intently, wondering what the hell Peyton had wanted to say to Haley in private, wondering what she couldn't say to her in front of him. He hoped that she wasn't still trying to turn her against him, he wasn't going to let her do that, not now. There was no way that he was going to sit back and allow her to try and tear them apart.

"Dude, Peyton really is happy for you both, you know? You don't need to worry about anything." Jake chuckled as he watched Nathan continue to concentrate on the bar area of the restaurant that Haley and Peyton were in as he took a sip of his champagne.

"Shut up Jake." Nathan snapped at him, not needing him to talk to him at the moment, for he was too worried about what Peyton was saying to Haley. Haley had her back to him and he willed her to turn around so that he could read her expressions, so that he could see if she was angry or upset, but she never did. "And are you out of your mind?" Nathan threw at Jake.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, confused by the sudden change in the conversation.

"What the hell are you doing going out with such a bitch?! Please tell me that this isn't serious?" Nathan said as he continued to glare at Peyton, wishing that he could lip read better, for he didn't have a clue what she was saying to Haley.

Jake glared at Nathan. "Don't call her that." He said between clenched teeth.

Nathan had to scoff at that and quickly averted his eyes from Peyton and Haley for a second, turning his attention to Jake and he saw that he really was being serious with him. "Oh God." Nathan said as he rolled his eyes. "It is serious isn't it?"

"Peyton's really cool." Jake said, wondering why Nathan seemed to have such a problem with her.

"Yeah, cool like the Ice Queen she is." Nathan muttered as he turned his gaze back to Haley and Peyton, still unable to make out what the hell was going on.

"I mean it Nathan, I really like her." Jake replied, choosing to ignore Nathan's derogatory remark, it wasn't worth trying to argue with him about it, not when he was so distracted by what Peyton and Haley were discussing, he knew that he wouldn't get anywhere with him right now.

"But she's evil!" Nathan said distractedly as he leant over in his chair, wondering if he'd be able to get a glance at Haley's face if he did so, but he had no such luck so he leant back into a more normal sitting position. He continued to glare at Peyton. "I swear she's the devil in disguise!"

"No she isn't Nathan; she's a really nice person." Jake threw back at him as he continued to try to get his attention, even though he knew it was useless.

"Yeah, she's real nice, an extremely welcoming, warm person." Nathan said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. Jake must have gone mental, Peyton must have drugged him, or hypnotised him, or something, because no one in their right mind would ever go anywhere near someone like her unless they were severely under the influence of some kind of intoxicating substance.

"Nathan she really is, if you would just get to know her a little better, give her a chance…" Jake started but soon shut his mouth when he watched Nathan literally pounce up from the table, throwing what had to be enough cash to pay for four meals instead of two onto the table, before he began to stalk over to where Haley and Peyton were standing. Jake, suddenly realising that Nathan was most likely about to do something stupid, scrambled up from the table and hurried after him.

Nathan still hadn't been able to see Haley's face, but he watched as she raised both of her hands to her cheeks and then she shook her head. She had to be crying. The bitch had fucking made Haley cry. He was seething, and the moment that her hands had moved from the sides of her body to her face and he had realised that she had to be crying, he jumped up from his seat and marched right over there. He wasn't going to just sit back and watch her upset Haley, no way. As soon as he got over there, he stood behind Haley and gripped her hips in his hands before spinning her around to face him. He looked down at her face and he saw the tear tracks on her face, confirming the fact that she had been crying and he felt the rage begin to bubble up inside of him. "You are a fucking bitch." He growled as he pointed at Peyton, before grabbing Haley's wrist and marching them both out of the restaurant, and as he past the Host he asked for them to call a car for himself and Haley.

"Nathan!" Haley hissed at him as she struggled to release herself from his firm grasp. She didn't want to cause a scene, especially once they walked out of the restaurant where all the photographers were, and so she stopped struggling and continued to walk beside him, until they got to the curb, where they waited in silence for their car to arrive, which thankfully arrived no more than thirty seconds later. Haley didn't even bother waiting for Nathan or the driver to open the door for her; she was so angry at Nathan that she knocked his hand out of the way and opened it herself before she climbed right in.

Nathan was equally pissed off, though not at Haley, he was angry at her bitch of a manager. He gave the driver his home address; there was no point in going back to the new house when it had no furniture in it and then he proceeded to run his hand through his hair. Why the hell did Haley have such a bitch of a manager?

"Once you've dropped him off there, then can you take me to my house?" Haley asked the driver before he put up the privacy screen, and then she proceeded to give him her home address.

Nathan glanced at her as she gave the driver her address, but managed to suppress his anger long enough for the driver to put up the screen. "Why aren't you staying with me?" He asked her, wanting to understand why she didn't want to spend the rest of the night with him. If he was being honest he needed her to help calm him down, he was still absolutely seething at Peyton.

Haley sighed and turned to look at Nathan. "What the hell was that Nathan?" She hissed at him, mindful of the volume of her voice, as she didn't want the driver to know that they were arguing, it would only end up all over the gossip pages the next day, and she had enough to worry about at the moment, without dealing with rumours of trouble in her and Nathan's relationship too.

"What the hell was what?" Nathan flipped back at her, still wondering what the hell her problem was. As far as he was concerned, he had done what any good boyfriend would do. His girlfriend was upset, so he took her away from the situation, without causing too much of a scene too, which he was rather proud of. What was so wrong about that? She should be grateful to him if anything.

"That!" Haley snapped back at him as she gestured behind her with her hands in the general direction of the restaurant. "You can't just walk up to me like that, call my friend a bitch and then drag me away without any form of an explanation!"

"She upset you!" Nathan shouted back at her.

"Keep your voice down Nathan." Haley hissed back at him as she tried to peer through the glass, wondering if the driver was able to hear any of what was going on in the back seat, but she couldn't see anything through the black glass wall that was separating them.

Nathan sighed heavily but did as she asked and toned down the volume of his voice a little. "Haley, I am not going to let anyone ever upset you like that okay?" He returned to her, his voice full of conviction. "And to be honest Haley, I don't understand why you don't fire her if she can't just accept the fact that we're together."

It was Haley's turn to sigh now. "Nathan, you can't just walk up to me like that, regardless of what you think and how you feel, you don't have the right to make those kinds of decisions for me. If I wanted to walk away, I would have done so myself. And for your information, Peyton didn't say anything bad about us to upset me, it was something else." Haley replied to him, still incredibly frustrated at how he had acted in the restaurant.

"Oh." Nathan replied, not knowing what else he should say to that. He had just presumed, given the way that Peyton had been acting about their relationship previously, that she had said something to Haley about it. He shook his head at himself, realising that he had just made a mistake and reacted without thinking properly. But now she had him wondering what Peyton had said to her that had upset her, if it wasn't Peyton saying bad things about their relationship, then what was it? "So what did she tell you then?" He asked.

Haley turned her head and looked out of the window, watching the buildings pass her by. "Nothing, it doesn't matter." She responded quietly. She didn't want to tell Nathan about the tour like this, not when they were arguing. It upset her enough just thinking about being away from him for months on end and telling him about it would somehow make it all seem too real. She'd tell him in the morning once she'd had a chance to process it herself, she decided.

Nathan turned his head in his seat and faced Haley, only he found that she was looking out of the window. "Hales, what happened? What did she say?" He asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping that she would turn around and talk to him.

Haley was still slightly pissed off at him for his behaviour in the restaurant, and that was now coupled with the fact that she had to now think about her imminent tour, which would require long rehearsals, planning, meetings... God she was going to be lucky if she was able to spend any more than minutes at a time in their new house, let alone plan all the decorating and buy all the furniture they needed. And all that was secondary to the fact that she knew that she wasn't going to be spending much time with Nathan at all, which was just absolutely shit. He was going to be busy with preseason practice while she will be rehearsing and it was just all going to be shit. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, as she knew that if he got her to talk about it right now that she would just end up crying.

Nathan sighed as Haley shook his hand off her shoulder and they both rode the rest of the car journey back to his house in silence. He kept stealing glances over at Haley, but she continued to stare out of the window, barely acknowledging the fact that he was in the car with her. He hated that she wasn't talking to him about what was going on, something had obviously upset her, he just didn't have a clue what it was.

Ten minutes later, Haley still hadn't uttered a word to him and Nathan felt the car roll to a stop outside his house. He stepped out of the car as soon as the driver had shut off the engine and walked around the back of the car to the door closest to where Haley had been sitting. He opened the door and held out his hand out for her to take so that she could get out of the car. He wasn't going to let her go home alone tonight, not when she was this upset about something.

Haley stared down at Nathan's hand. During the ride back to his house she had been thinking about Nathan's behaviour back at the restaurant and realised that he was only worried about her, and she knew that she should be grateful to have someone in her life that cared about her so much. So she wasn't mad at him anymore. But she continued to look down at his hand, unsure of whether she wanted to stay the night with him or whether she wanted to go home and wrap her head around the tour that she needed to think about, and also think about a way of telling Nathan. She had no idea how he was going to take the news. She knew that he would be supportive of the fact that she had to do this, but she was worried about the effect being away from him for so long would have on their relationship.

Nathan sighed as Haley continued to look down at his hand. "Haley, I'm sorry for how I acted back at the restaurant, I shouldn't have just marched you out of there without talking to you and finding out what happened first, but please don't be mad at me. Please come inside." He said as he moved his open hand even closer to her, reminding her of the fact that he was waiting for her to make a decision.

Haley bit down on her lip and looked up into Nathan's blue eyes. She could see that he was still worried about her and she didn't want him to feel that way. She didn't want him to be worrying about something that she hadn't even sorted out in her own head yet. She really was dreading the fact that she had to tell him about this stupid tour.

"Haley, please." Nathan said as he waited for her to make her decision. He could see that she was still upset and he hoped that she would accept his apology, and that she would tell him what was bothering her, since something clearly was. He didn't want to have to go to bed alone knowing that Haley was still mad at him, he wouldn't get any sleep that way. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt Haley's hand rest in his and as soon as she stepped out of the car and stood up next to him, he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a light kiss on it, smiling at her, but only seeing a faint smile come from Haley in return, which bothered him slightly.

Haley smiled back at him as brightly as she could muster but as she looked into his eyes she could see that he wasn't buying it. She waited by the car as Nathan paid the driver and then he clasped his hand in hers again and walked them towards his house. Once he opened the front door he held it open so that she could walk through first and as soon as she had done so she kicked off her shoes and sighed before she headed up the stairs. Her head was spinning at a thousand miles per hour and she just needed to lie down.

Nathan frowned as soon as he realised that Haley was just going to walk up the stairs without saying a word to him. He didn't know what he should do, should he let her have her space and allow her to talk to him once she was ready, or should he run up there after her and make her tell him right now? He knew that he couldn't stand knowing that something was upsetting her without knowing what it was and so decided to run after her. He raced up the stairs and found Haley walking down the corridor towards his bedroom. "Haley." He called after her as he ran up to her.

Haley stopped walking when she heard Nathan call out her name. She couldn't help that all she was thinking about was the upcoming tour and the fact that it was going to tear them apart, however irrational she knew it was, she couldn't help the doubts that she was having. How were they meant to be able to sustain a relationship with each other when they wouldn't even be seeing each other? It just couldn't work, could it? Not with Nathan being so busy and needing to be focussed on basketball. She hated the thought of them breaking up, she knew that she wouldn't be able to deal with it, and just the mere thought of not having him in her life anymore caused this incredible pain to form through her entire body. She could feel the tears in her eyes, and she tried desperately to hide them from Nathan, she didn't want to upset him with this news, not yet.

As soon as Nathan caught up with her, he moved in front of where she was standing and grabbed a hold of her hands, before looking intently into her eyes. He could see the tears, he could see how upset she was and he hated it. He dropped one of her hands and lifted his own hand to her face, tucking her loose hair behind her ears before softly caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Haley, what's wrong baby?" He asked in a soothing tone, really hoping that she would open up to him. He wasn't sure if she was still angry about his behaviour in the restaurant so he decided to try another apology in the hope that if that was what this was all about, that she would forgive him. "I'm sorry about before." He whispered as he continued to move his thumb over her cheekbones.

Haley furrowed her brow and placed her hand over Nathan's which was still on her face. "I'm not still angry at you for what happened in the restaurant Nathan." She said as she looked down at the floor, wondering whether she would be able to tell him what was really making her so upset, but she just didn't know how he was going to take the news. She sighed deeply and lifted her gaze from the floor to his eyes and could see the love that he had for her there. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to find the words, but all she could think of was the fact that she didn't want him to know, she didn't want to give him any reason to end things. Her head was still spinning and a thousand and one scenarios were running through her head. As she opened her eyes again, something changed inside of her as she looked at him, and she instantly realised that she needed him. He was with her tonight, and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to have him. She needed to feel that connection with him, she needed to feel him, properly. "Nathan..." She started as she bit down on her lip before releasing it. "Kiss me." She whispered.

Nathan looked down at Haley and for a second was slightly confused as to what she was asking of him. Didn't he come up here to find out what was upsetting her? Why was she asking him to kiss her? He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, and the fact that she was this upset and asking that of him was quite unnerving. "But Hales, you're upset and I don't know what's wrong, just tell me what it is and we'll sort it out." He said as he looked deeply into her brown eyes.

"Nathan, I just need you." Haley said as she looked back into his eyes with as much intensity as he was looking at her with, she was silently pleading with him to drop it and give her what she wanted. It wasn't that she didn't know that she had to tell him about the tour, because she knew that she did, she just didn't want to do it right this very second, she still needed to collect her thoughts on the matter. It would be better to do it when her head wasn't spinning so much, confusing her deeply.

Nathan frowned as he continued to look at her and before he had even a chance to process a thought, he felt Haley's lips connect with his softly. He knew that they should be talking, he knew that they shouldn't be kissing each other when it was clear that something was bothering Haley, but all those thoughts flew right out of the window the second he felt Haley's tongue brush against his lips. He immediately opened his mouth up to her and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him, moaning into her mouth when he felt her tongue touch his.

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down onto hers, deepening the kiss. She then started to push him back towards his room, and she quickly opened her eyes and spotted the bed and so began to walk them both towards it as she moved her hands from Nathan's neck into his hair, still kissing him hungrily.

Nathan felt the edge of the bed behind his knees and so lowered himself down onto the edge, moving his hands around to Haley's ass as he did so, so that she could straddle his lap. As soon as she had sat down on his lap, his hands moved down to her knees before moving up underneath the dress she was wearing, following the silky smooth skin of her thigh until he reached her stomach and he skimmed his fingertips over her skin. "God Hales, you feel so good." He moaned as he moved his mouth away from hers and started to leave a trail of kisses down towards her neck, feeling himself getting harder and harder by the second.

Haley moaned when she felt Nathan's mouth begin to move across her skin, and she moved her fingers from his hair and found the front of his shirt. She could feel his cock straining against the fabric of his trousers and she moaned again as she ground herself into him, needing to feel him, wanting him inside of her. She started to unbutton his shirt while she moved her neck to the side, allowing Nathan the access he needed to hit that spot just below her ear. She moaned again when she felt his tongue run around her pulse point in a circle, as she hurried to remove his shirt from his body, throwing it to the floor as soon as she managed to get his arms out of it, before moving her fingers across his toned chest, feeling his muscles under her fingertips.

Nathan's hands moved back to the hem of Haley's dress, before he bunched it up and removed his mouth from her neck just long enough to peel the fabric away from her body, throwing it on the floor where it joined his shirt before he ran his fingers down her back to her bra, unhooking it easily and allow it to fall to the floor also. His mouth returned to her neck as he lifted them both off the bed and flipped them over so that Haley was now lying on her back on his bed. He remained standing and removed his trousers and his boxers, freeing his hard cock from its confines, before he crawled up the bed, kissing his way up Haley's legs as he did so until his fingers reached her panties, and he pulled them down her legs, throwing them to the floor behind him. He lifted himself up off the bed slightly and looked down at Haley's body, beautiful and naked, ready and waiting for him, and he felt himself grow even harder. He really was so damn lucky to have someone as wonderful as her in his life.

Haley watched Nathan's eyes roam her body and she did the same to him. He looked so powerful with all his muscles, and her body ached to feel him close to her, she just needed him. She parted her legs and bit down on her lip, before smiling at him as her eyes connected with his. She then watched him lick his lips with that delicious tongue of his, and she felt herself become even wetter than she already was.

Nathan removed his eyes from Haley's and slowly took her in as he moved his eyes down her neck to her fabulous breasts, before skimming down her toned stomach until he reached her core, and he could see how ready she was for him. God that was so sexy, knowing that she was that wet for him. He groaned as he crawled up the bed and settled himself in between her legs, kissing his way up her stomach and chest until his head was level with her lips, and he kissed her softly as he moved his hand down the left hand side of her body, over her hip until he found his cock and he moved it towards her entrance, just slipping himself inside of her, unable to help the groan that escaped from his lips as the sensation of them being joined together so intimately washed over him.

Haley kissed Nathan hungrily as her hands moved to his back, and she started to softly rake her fingernails over his skin, lifting her hips up as she encouraged him to begin moving inside of her. He took the hint and she felt him begin to set a steady rhythm, which she matched with the rising and falling of her hips, wanting him as deep as she could take him. She removed her mouth from his and started to kiss her way along his cheek before resting her head near his shoulder, pressing down on his back, wanting to feel his weight on top of her. She moaned when she felt him increase the pace slightly, and she responded with him, groaning as she felt him go even deeper with each thrust of his hips.

God she was always so wet, so tight and when Nathan felt her wrap her legs around his ass, when he felt her dig her heels into him as she lifted her hips even higher, causing him to go much deeper, he couldn't help the fact that he started to groan and increase the pace yet again. But it was when he felt her inner muscles clench around his rock hard cock that he knew that he wasn't going to last that much longer. The feeling of her being even tighter as he moved in and out of her was just completely amazing.

Haley felt Nathan readjust his position slightly which caused him to hit her G spot, and she couldn't help but moan at the intense feeling that was building up inside of her. She dug her heels further into his ass, silently asking him to pick up the pace once more. She felt his cock thrust in and out of her even faster than he had been moving previously, each time hitting that spot deep within her, and eventually she knew that she couldn't hold the feeling had been building and building ever since he had first entered her off any longer, and she felt herself explode around him, her muscles contracting around his cock as he continued to thrust into her, her breathing laboured and erratic, her heart rate completely out of control.

Nathan felt Haley's muscles clench uncontrollably around his cock as her body jerked underneath him, and it was then that he closed his eyes and finally let go and released into her. Once her felt Haley come down from her high slightly, he leant up on his elbows by her sides and kissed her lightly on the lips, before pulling away, leaving a lingering kiss on the tip of her nose as he pulled himself out of her and rolled onto his back on the bed next to her, his breathing still incredibly erratic.

Once Haley's heart rate and breathing had returned to a more normal pace, she rolled onto her side facing away from Nathan and leant on her arm, trying to think of a way to tell him what she needed to. She felt Nathan scoot over on the bed, and felt his fingers begin to draw lines up and down her back, and she couldn't help but smile at the feeling just his touch had on her, he actually made her tingle.

Nathan really hated seeing Haley this way, he really hoped that she would open up and talk to him but he knew that she would do when she was ready. He continued drawing lines along her back, before he leant in and placed a slow, soft kiss right on her shoulder.

"I'm leaving to go on tour in two months." Haley said once she felt Nathan's lips leave her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she said it, completely unsure of what his reaction to the news would be. She hated the fact that she had to deliver this shit piece of news to him.

Nathan pulled his mouth completely away from her shoulder, but continued to trace lines on her back. She was leaving to go on tour? "Is that what has been bothering you all night?" Nathan asked softly as he leant back in and placed another kiss on her shoulder.

Haley nodded her head as confirmation. "That's what Peyton told me at the restaurant, that's what I got so upset about." She confessed.

Nathan chuckled at her softly. "Baby, that's a good thing that you're going on tour, isn't it?" Nathan said as he kissed the side of her neck. "Isn't that what you love doing?" He asked her.

Haley spun herself around and laid her head on the pillow, as she watched Nathan settle down next to her, their noses practically touching. Haley furrowed her brow, contemplating her answer. "It is but I don't want to be away from you for so long." She admitted.

Nathan smiled at her and brought his hand up to her cheek, pleased that she had told him what was bothering her, and also pleased that she was worrying about something so silly. This was something that he could most certainly fix. "Baby, I don't want you to be away for so long either, but it's going to be okay, you're going to have an amazing time on that tour! And I can't wait to see you up there on a big stage." Nathan said gently as he caressed her cheek.

"You're going to come and see me?" Haley asked, surprised at this, for she thought... well she didn't know what she had thought about the whole thing.

Nathan smiled at her. "Of course I am, silly!"

Haley smiled back at him before remembering her greatest fear and the smile instantly dropped from her face. "But what happens if we can't make it work?" She asked quietly.

"Make what work baby?" Nathan asked, wondering what silly thing she was going on about now.

"Us." Haley said as she closed her eyes, hating the thoughts that were currently playing out in her head. She didn't want to think of her life without Nathan in it, it just wasn't right!

Nathan instantly lifted his head up from the pillow and looked down at her. "Haley, nothing is ever going to get in the way of me and you, okay?" He said sternly, his voice full of conviction and meaning.

Haley looked up at him. How could he be so sure? She was obviously pleased that he was so convinced that they would make it through this and if he was so adamant that nothing was going to go wrong, shouldn't she believe that too? "You promise?" She asked.

"I promise." Nathan said as he leant down and placed a meaningful kiss on her lips, before lying back down on his pillow, pulling Haley into his arms. He wasn't ever going to let her go.

**AN – This chapter was mainly about tying up this part of the story before we head on into the next part of the story. The next chapter will most likely contain a time jump as we start to move into the drama. I don't think anyone has got the hints I've been leaving…**

**Do you think that Nathan's making promises that he can't keep? Hmm...**

**Let me know what you thought of the chapter by leaving a review.**

**A sneak peek will be available to those of you that want it, just let me know in a review if you want it and I'll send it to you as soon as it's written. Thanks!**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN – Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews of the last chapter! And I bet those of you who read Think About Me weren't expecting an update from me so soon right?! I have no idea why but this chapter just basically wrote itself!**

**So some of you guys took a guess at what the drama is... and I still don't think anyone has guessed it in its entirety. Maybe by the end of this chapter (and definitely by the end of the next) you guys might be able to have a bit of a clearer guess. The hints I've been leaving are very subtle and I don't think anyone will have connected them to the fact that they will be causing a problem later in the story but anyway, they have been there through some of the chapters.**

**So this chapter has a bit of a time jump in it, just as a warning to you all so you don't read the first paragraph and wonder what the hell is going on! **

**And with that said I'm going to be quiet and get on with it!**

**Many, many thanks to Rebecca who did an awesome job reading through this chapter for me before I posted it, thank you so much hun! You're the best! **

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Haley had just returned to her dressing room following her sound check. She sighed as she flopped down onto the sofa in her dressing room and closed her eyes, trying to rest. She'd been on the road for a month and a half now and still had a whole two months left to go. Tonight she would be playing the first of two concerts in Dallas and she was absolutely exhausted; physically and emotionally. Physically because of the non-stop rushing around that went hand in hand with being on tour. Emotionally because she missed the hell out of Nathan.

She thought back over the last couple of months. Nathan had been right when he had made that promise to her all those months ago. They hadn't let both of their busy schedules get in the way of their relationship too much, except for the last couple of weeks. Nathan was supposed to meet her in Phoenix two weekends ago but had to cancel as he had to go to training. She hated the fact that he hadn't been able to come and see her, but he had said that he would make it up to her, which of course, she held him to. And he was, by visiting her tonight. She couldn't wait to see him. It had been a month since she'd felt his lips on hers and she missed him like crazy. Phone calls just didn't seem to be enough to quench the longing she had for her man.

She heard her phone ring and glanced down at the caller ID, seeing that it was Nathan calling her. She smiled as she picked up the phone, desperately needing to hear his voice. "Hi Nathan! Are you all packed? I can't wait to see you!" Haley rushed out in excitement as she got up from the sofa and walked over to the table, glancing down at her busy schedule for the day, mentally counting down the hours until she would be able to see him. He wasn't going to be able to see her show but she had let the security guards know that he was coming and she had e-mailed him over an overly detailed map of where her dressing room was, so that she could meet him there after the show had finished.

"Hi baby." Nathan said as he grimaced at the fact that he knew that in a matter of minutes he was going to have to deliver the bad news, bursting her bubble of happiness. He fucking hated it.

Haley instantly stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes. She knew what that tone of voice meant, that tone meant that he was going to do something he didn't want to do, that he was going to disappoint her. She could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes and her bottom lip started to quiver. She sighed as she opened her eyes, feeling the tears begin to fall down her cheeks. "You're not coming are you?" She said quietly, her voice laced with disappointment.

Nathan sighed heavily as he walked into the kitchen of their home, which felt empty and desolate without Haley in it. It had felt this way ever since the night she had left for her tour. He loved this house, their home, so much, but without Haley in it, it felt like all the life had been sucked out of it. He ran his hand through his hair before placing it down on the counter top, leaning heavily on it. "Hales…" He said softly. He hated the fact that he was disappointing her. He was fucked off with his coaches, he didn't understand what they could possibly want to discuss with him so urgently that it couldn't wait until he came back from his trip. He wanted nothing more than to see her, a month without touching her, holding her, was almost too much for him to bear.

Haley knew that this wasn't his fault; she knew that something very important must have come up because she knew how much he missed her. He told her so every single time he called, at least five times a day. But even armed with the knowledge that if he could he would come out and see her, she still couldn't mask her disappointment, despite how much she wanted to. She didn't want to be this whiny girlfriend who needed her boyfriend with her all the time, who blamed him for things that she knew were out of his control. She took a deep, shaky breath and wiped at her eyes, willing herself to stop crying. She didn't want Nathan to know that she was crying, she wanted to be understanding and accepting of the conflict that had arisen. "It's okay Nathan." She said, cringing at how upset she sounded.

Nathan shook his head as he stood up straight and walked into the hallway of their home. She was crying. He could tell from the tone of her voice that he had upset her and the fact that he was over a thousand miles away from her was killing him. He just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to comfort her but instead of being able to he found himself wandering aimlessly around their home, without her in it. "No Hales it's not okay." He responded. "I promised you that I would come out and see you, and you have no idea how desperately I want to baby, I miss you so damn much. But I have to go to this stupid meeting with the coaches tonight so I'm not going to be able to get out there in time Hales, I'm going to miss the last flight."

Haley smiled sadly. She knew how much this was upsetting him too and she knew that he couldn't just cancel the meeting he had with the coaches. The last thing he needed was her making him feel guilty for breaking a promise. She felt another tear roll down her cheek and wiped it away before taking a deep breath. "Nathan, its fine. We'll just have to rearrange, that's all." She replied as she sat back down on the sofa.

"I hate disappointing you like this baby. I hate making you upset. I hate hearing you cry and I hate the fact that I can't be there to hold you." Nathan said softly as he flopped down on a leather sofa in their living room.

"I know you do." Haley replied quietly as she curled her legs underneath her and rested her head on the arm of the sofa. "I miss you so much."

"So do I Hales." Nathan responded with a heavy sigh, hating the fact that their careers had put this distance between them, but knowing that neither of them could do a damn thing about it. It was what it was and they were just going to have to work around their demanding and conflicting schedules yet again. He knew that people were looking at their relationship, scrutinizing it, waiting for it to fail. He'd seen the covers of magazines, commenting on how little time they had spent together ever since she had left for her tour. There were even some crazy stories which spoke of the fact that they had actually broken up and it seemed like the whole world was waiting on a formal confirmation of that false fact. He knew how easy it was for people outside of their close circle to speculate, but they didn't have a fucking clue what was going on behind closed doors, the fact that every spare second they seemed to get, they were on the phone to each other, or texting each other. He wished that people would keep their fucking noses out of his and Haley's business. He hadn't spoken to Haley about the magazines, as he didn't want to bring it up unnecessarily and upset her. But he knew that she must have seen them. "You know how much I love you Hales, don't you?" He said with so much conviction in his voice. He needed her to know that she was all that mattered to him; he needed her to know just how much she meant to him.

"I know. The same goes for you too Nathan." Haley responded as she felt more tears fall down her face. She didn't want to continue crying down the phone to him, it wasn't what he needed and she didn't want to be that person. "Listen, I have to go but I'll call you after the show, okay?" She said as she got up from the sofa and walked towards the rail of clothes in her dressing room.

"Good luck Hales, I know you'll do brilliantly." Nathan responded, smiling sadly at the fact that he wouldn't be able to see her perform tonight. He'd been looking forward to it immensely and he was absolutely gutted that he would have to wait until another free slot arrived in his calendar.

"Thank you. Good luck for your meeting too." Haley said as she flicked through the clothes, needing to keep her brain occupied on something, otherwise she was just going to break down completely. "I love you."

"Love you too baby." Nathan replied. "I'll see you soon."

Haley smiled sadly as she heard his words. He'd been saying them for the past month and they had yet to materialise into anything. "Yeah." Was all she said as she sighed heavily, instantly regretting the slight bitterness that laced her voice. She knew that she needed to get off the phone quickly, otherwise things were just going to get worse, and she didn't want them too. "Bye."

Nathan brought his hand up to his forehead and rubbed his hand over it, feeling the creases form there as he heard her words. "Bye Hales." He responded quietly before hearing the harsh tone fill his ear, indicating that she had hung up. The whole situation was nothing short of just being completely shit. As soon as he dropped the phone into his lap, he reached for it again, searching for a number. He had to be able to do something to fix this.

~*~

Haley had just finished her concert and had walked off the stage and was heading to her dressing room. She smiled politely at all the staff she passed on the way, thanking them all for their kind words about the fact that she had performed another amazing show, and that the fans seemed to have had a really good time, that she should be proud for being able to put on such a wonderful performance. And she was proud of herself. Every single time she stepped up onto that stage and did what she loved to do, she felt grateful and privileged to be able to do what so many people only dreamed of doing. But as she entered her dressing room and closed the door, she instantly felt the adrenaline levels drop off completely and she felt nothing short of empty. What was the point in doing all of this if she wasn't able to share it with the only person that mattered to her in the whole damn world? She loved her job, but she loved Nathan even more.

She rubbed at her eyes before she walked further into the room and unzipped the dress she had been wearing, placing it back on the hanger and onto the rail so that it could be washed and steamed before she had to put it back on tomorrow night. She sighed as she thought more about her predicament, and despite how much she knew that she wanted to be able to be with Nathan all the time, she knew that she could never give up doing what she loved so much. Music filled this hole in heart, music was all she knew and she knew wholeheartedly that she wouldn't feel complete without it in her life. She grabbed her jeans and pulled them onto her body, before throwing a white tank top over her head as she heard someone knock on the door and call her name, telling her that the car was waiting to take her to the hotel she would be staying in for the duration of her stay in Dallas.

She played with her phone as she sat in the car, pressing it to her chin as she spun it around with her hands, debating as to whether she should call Nathan now or wait until she was tucked up in bed. She didn't know how she felt about their situation; she just knew that the fact that she hadn't seen him for a whole month was slowly eating away at her. She needed him, more than he could possibly know, and as much as she knew that their situation couldn't be helped, it still didn't ease the doubts that were forming in her mind. She sighed as she placed her phone in her pocket and looked out of the window, seeing the bright lights of the city whiz past her as the car travelled towards the hotel.

She walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, waiting patiently for the elevator to carry her up there. She bit furiously at her lip, unsure of the feelings that were running through her body. She was confused; not seeing Nathan for so long had left her jaded and she knew that she wasn't thinking straight. The tour was tiring and she needed to feel his arms around her, she missed his smell, his strength, she missed his kisses, his eyes, in fact, she missed everything about him. She heard the elevator chime and the doors opened, and she closed her eyes for a second before she stepped out and walked towards her room slowly, there was absolutely nothing for her to rush back to, all she was faced with was yet another night in a huge bed, in a foreign hotel room, completely alone.

She rounded the corner as she looked down at the floor, watching her feet carry her the distance towards the end of the corridor. She sighed, and then frowned as she heard someone gasp further along the corridor. She looked up towards her room right at the end and she saw a figure slumped at her door. She stopped in her tracks, wondering if she was seeing things, she was that exhausted she wouldn't rule out hallucinations forming in her mind at this point, nothing would shock her at the moment. He had a meeting, he couldn't come and see her, he had told her all this earlier on in the day, hadn't he? He couldn't be sitting in the corridor of her hotel waiting for her. But then she saw the figure rise up and smile at her, his brilliant smile spread right across his gorgeous face as he watched her from the end of the corridor, and suddenly all those doubts she had been having completely evaporated from her body and the elation that she felt in that moment was enough to keep her on cloud nine for an eternity.

He had heard someone shuffle along the corridor before that person had turned the corner. He hoped that it would be Haley, he had no idea how long it would take her to get here once her show had ended. He'd been sitting in the same spot for over half an hour now, each time someone rounded the corner he'd sit up straight, the anticipation of seeing her finally tingling its way through his body, only he'd be disappointed to find that it wasn't her and was in fact and old couple staying a couple of rooms up from hers, or a family staying in the room opposite. So this time, when he heard the chime of the elevator, and the footsteps coming ever closer, he told his body that it wasn't her, that it would be someone else, but his body wouldn't listen to him. His heart rate sped up astronomically, his palms started sweating and his breathing became erratic. He would have laughed at himself in any other situation, it was just Haley, and he'd seen her a thousand and one times before, he shouldn't be acting like a schoolboy waiting for his date to turn up outside the movies, but he couldn't help the anticipation from building deep inside of him. It had been far too long since he had seen her and knowing that, if this was her, in a matter of seconds he'd be able to see her perfect self again, well it was almost too much for his body to take.

He craned his neck as he heard the footsteps draw nearer and his heart rate picked up a bit more, which should have been damn near impossible given that it felt like it would literally burst out of his chest at any given second. And then she had rounded that corner and he gasped at the mere sight of her, nothing short of perfection, and he closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again, just to make sure that she really was standing at the end of the corridor and his eyes weren't playing a cruel trick on him. He smiled when he opened his eyes and found her still standing at the other end of the corridor, and he stood up, unable to stop the beaming smile from taking over his whole face. He probably looked like an idiot but he didn't care.

Before Haley knew what she was doing, she found herself running towards him, her brain completely unaware that her legs had started moving; she was drawn to him automatically. She was vaguely aware of the sound of her laughter, of the feel of tears running down her face, but then she crashed into his body as her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms settling behind his neck and she rested her head against his shoulder, turning her face towards his neck and just breathed in his scent as she closed her eyes, completely melting into his form as he spun her around in a circle and then all she was aware of was the fact that he was here. She was in his arms and he was here. This was where she needed to be, where she had longed to be for over a month now, there really was no other feeling in the world like it.

Nathan held her close to him, his arms rubbing up and down her back as he continued to spin them both around in a circle, his body filled with nothing but happiness at being able to hold her close to him again. He closed his eyes as he turned his head to where she was resting on his shoulder and placed a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in that smell again, Haley. He stopped spinning them around and slowed down the pace of his hands moving along her back. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hold you baby. I can't go that long without seeing you ever again." He said softly into her head as he placed another kiss on the top of her head.

Haley pulled away from him and felt his hands move further down her back, supporting her weight as she leant away from him and looked into his eyes, still not quite believing that he was here. She closed her eyes for a second, feeling more tears fall down her face.

Nathan looked back into her deep brown eyes and watched as she closed them for a second, and then when she opened them again tears started to fall down her cheeks. He shook his head at her, before bringing one of his hands around to her cheek, wiping her tears away. "Hey, what are you crying for?" He asked, concern filling his voice as he watched her bite down on her lip, before he moved his thumb over to her mouth and released it from her grasp.

"I just can't believe you're here. I've missed you so much." Haley replied as she smiled at him. "They're happy tears." She continued as she watched him smile back at her.

"Well good, and I've missed you more than I ever thought would be possible Hales." Nathan said as he moved his hand up to her hair and ran his fingers through it, his eyes following his hand's every move, before resting his hand on her shoulder and running it softly down the side of her body, his eyes lifting to meet hers again. "You're so beautiful baby." He muttered, finding himself completely in awe of her beauty.

Haley smiled back at him as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck, sure that she would never tire of hearing those words fall from his lips. She then removed one of her hands from his neck and reached into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling out the key card and unwrapped her legs from his waist as she felt Nathan's grip on her body loosen, and she dropped to the floor. "Come on, let's get inside." Haley said as she placed the key card in the door and walked through into the room, fishing her phone from her pocket also and placing both her phone and the key card on the dining room table, slipping her sandals off her feet as she did so. She heard Nathan close the door behind her and turned around to see him wander further into the room as he kicked off his flip flops. She noticed that he didn't have any bags with him. "Where's all your stuff?" She asked in confusion.

"I didn't have time to pack anything; I literally just ran into the house, found my passport and then hurried to the airport. They have toiletries and stuff here, don't they? Toothbrush, things like that?" Nathan asked as he walked further into the suite, turning into the bedroom and sitting himself down on the bed.

Haley followed him into the bedroom, walking through to her bag as she tried to find a hair band. "I don't know, I didn't really take much notice to be honest when I got here yesterday. I just kind of fell into bed, and then took a shower in the morning. I'll go and check." She said as she walked past Nathan, heading towards the bathroom.

As soon as Haley walked past him, as soon as his eyes had found her ass, he knew he couldn't wait a second longer. He stood up from the bed and grabbed a hold of her waist before she'd even had a chance to walk a step further and he pulled her back into his chest. "Do you have any idea how sexy you looked up on that stage?" He mumbled against her skin as his mouth found her neck.

Haley moaned as soon as his lips found her neck and she melted into his embrace. His hands were on her hips, his fingers lifting the material of her tank top until they slipped underneath and found the skin underneath, and then ever so lightly, he trailed both of his fingertips until they met in the middle of her stomach. She placed her hands on top of his, stilling his movements as he was tickling her slightly. She leaned her neck over to the left, giving him as much of her neck as was possible and she moaned again when she felt his tongue begin to trail over her skin. She felt her breathing increase in pace, her skin felt like it was on fire and she couldn't concentrate on anything but the feel of him behind her, the feel of his evident arousal pressing into her back. The anticipation of what was to come was filling all her senses and clouding her brain. But he had mumbled something against her skin, something that didn't make sense. "You were at the concert?" She gasped as she felt his teeth trail up her neck towards her ear, before latching onto her earlobe.

Nathan tugged lightly onto her ear and then released it, before moving his mouth back down her neck, finding her pulse point and using his tongue to glide over it, earning another moan from Haley and he smiled against her skin, he loved that sound so damn much, and he'd missed that sound more than he could have known was possible. His hands continued to trail over her stomach and he felt one of Haley's reach up and cling to the back of his neck. He loved how familiar she felt to his hands, but even so, he still felt like he was touching her for the first time. He had imagined touching her again ever since she had left but his mind didn't do justice to how silky smooth her skin felt under his skin, nor to the smell of her, the taste of her. "Of course I was." He responded as he moved his mouth down to her shoulder and placed a series of kisses along the top of it. "You were phenomenal." He muttered in between the kisses he was leaving on her body. "I was so proud of you."

Haley couldn't help the smile she felt take over her whole face. She couldn't believe that he had managed to get out here in time to see her perform. Knowing that he had been out there in the audience watching her filled her with happiness; he had finally had the chance to see her in her element, and she wondered if he had felt the same feelings that raced through her body while she watched him do what he loved. Every time she watched him on the basketball court, this sense of pride and adoration filled her whole body. She hoped that she evoked the same feelings for him too.

Nathan's mouth was now moving back along her shoulder towards her neck again before he hovered just above her skin. "I can tell how much you love it Hales. I don't even know if I can begin to explain how I felt watching you up there. It was like you were meant to be there, you know, and I felt nothing but pure love and…I don't even know what, when you were on that stage. It was just so rewarding for me to see you doing what you loved to do. I was completely mesmerised by you." He explained, before frowning as he realised that he couldn't even put into words how proud he was of her. "I'm sorry, that didn't make sense at all did it?" He said before placing a kiss on the hollow of her neck.

Haley spun around from her position so that she was facing Nathan and wrapped both of her arms around his neck. "It makes perfect sense." She returned. "I feel exactly the same way when I watch you play basketball." She smiled at him as her hands began to weave into his hair. Her eyes moved over his face, settling on each of his features; his bright blue eyes, sparkling at her with love, his eyebrows, his forehead, his cheeks, his strong jaw line, and his utterly irresistible lips. She brought one of her hands from his hair along his jaw, cupping his face in her small hands. The intense feeling of need for him rushed through her body unexpectedly and she took a step away from him, feeling his arms leave her body as she looked up into his eyes, seeing nothing but confusion mask his features. She reached for the hem of her top and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the floor, before looking up into his eyes again, the realisation of what she wanted, what she needed, was slowly making itself clear to him, evident in the way that he was eyeing her body, and when she watched him pull his polo shirt over his head, her eyes feasted on the sight of his naked chest, so strong and powerful. He understood exactly what she wanted, loud and clear.

Nathan couldn't take his eyes off the bra she was wearing and what it did to her fantastic breasts. His cock was pushing painfully against the fabric of his jeans, needing to be freed from its confines and he knew that he needed to get completely naked as quickly as possible, and he needed Haley to follow suit, he wanted to see her again, he longed to be inside of her. He reached for the buttons on his jeans and popped them open quickly, before placing his hands on his hips, slipping them inside the waistband of his boxers and pulling both his jeans and his boxers off his body in one swift motion, the denim hitting the floor with an incredibly heavy thud which filled the silence that was hanging in the air. He smirked as he watched Haley's eyes travel down his body until they hit his cock, which was rock hard, standing to full attention. She seemed fascinated by it and he couldn't help the chuckle that fell from his lips. "Come on Hales, stop ogling over my cock and get naked." He smirked at her.

Haley raised her eyes up to his and couldn't help the fact that she raised her eyebrow. She knew that she should probably feel embarrassed at the fact that he had caught her staring like that, but she couldn't bring herself to be, not when he was that damn perfect. She held his gaze as she moved her fingers up her stomach at a slow pace before bringing them around to the back of her bra, unclasping it. She felt the fabric loosen on her body but it still held in place. She smiled as her hands came back around to the front of her body, she watched Nathan's eyes follow her hands every move as she slipped the straps down from her shoulders and then peeled it off her body. She smiled once again in satisfaction as his eyes found her breasts, his gaze running hungrily over her body. She threw the bra down to the floor and then brought her hands along the waistband of her jeans, popping open the button before lowering the zipper, and then wiggling her hips as she slid them down her body and then stepped out of them.

She was standing in front of him dressed in nothing but a pair of baby blue lace panties, and he was completely enchanted by how beautiful she was. He watched in stunned silence as her hands slipped into the waistband of the elastic and she wiggled her hips once more, which caused him to let out a low, guttural groan, and then finally, she slid them down her legs and threw them onto the floor beside her. His eyes travelled up her body slowly, re-familiarising himself with every curve of her perfect form. And then he suddenly felt her warm breath in his ear.

Haley had walked over to him, swaying her hips for extra sassiness, smiling at how much he was staring at her, not that she minded, in fact, she really liked that she had this kind of effect on him, the same way that he did her. She stood up on her tiptoes and found his ear. "Stop staring at my naked body Nathan and fuck me." She whispered to him, before placing a kiss on his neck just below his ear.

Nathan shook his head at her and chuckled darkly as he realised that she was throwing his earlier words right back at him. He brought his hand around to her back and trailed a finger up her spine, smirking as he felt her shudder underneath him. "Oh baby, I think you're going to live to regret that one." He said slowly as his finger crawled further up her spine. Once he reached her neck, he grabbed a hold of her waist with his other hand and picked her up, and in one swift motion, he threw her onto the bed, hearing Haley squeal with surprise, before climbing on top of her, finding her hands and pinning them both alongside her head. He hovered above her, staring deeply into her gorgeous brown eyes before his eyes wandered down her face to her neck, before eventually resting on the swell of her breasts. He watched, completely enthralled by the way they rose and fell in time with her breathing, before he slowly lifted his gaze back to her eyes.

Haley watched him watching her and instantly felt the colour rise to her cheeks. She had no idea why she did that, it wasn't like she was ashamed of her body, far from it, it just seemed to be a natural reaction of hers when she was around Nathan. Her body was filled with this insatiable need for him and she knew that she couldn't wait a minute longer. Her breaths, much like his, were raspy and full of anticipation. "Nathan please, I need you." She whispered as she moved her gaze down to his lips and then lifted it back to his eyes.

Nathan lowered his mouth and captured her lips with his, kissing her with all the love and desire he held for her, conveying with that kiss just how much he needed and wanted her too. He felt her lips part and he took that as an invitation to slip his tongue into her mouth, seeking hers, and groaned into her mouth when he felt that connection with her. The fire and passion was building up from deep inside of him as his mouth started to move quicker over hers. He released his grip on one of her wrists and trailed his hand over her hip bone, before slipping it down the inside of her thigh and trailing his finger down by her entrance, slipping two of his fingers inside of her, finding her wet and ready for him. He felt her back arch into him as he slipped them out and then back inside of her again, before removing them from her completely, hearing her whimper at the loss. His hand found his cock and he guided himself to her, slipping himself inside of her and thrusting in deeply. He groaned into her mouth at the feel of his cock being surrounded by her warmth, before pulling away from her mouth and he pulled his cock out of her and then thrust into her again slowly. He released her other hand and instantly felt her hands wind their way behind his neck and moving into his hair as he rested his forehead on hers, feeling her arch her back as he entered her again, her hips rising to meet him.

Haley lowered her hips as she felt him withdraw from her; the feeling of being completely filled and satisfied was flowing freely through her. She looked deeply into his blue eyes as he entered her again, quicker this time and she moaned as she lifted her head up, pulling his head down to hers as she placed a lingering kiss on his lips. "I love you Nathan." She whispered as she moaned again, feeling him pick up the pace yet again.

"I love you too Hales." Nathan whispered back as he brushed the hair away from her face. The love and devotion he felt towards her in that moment was so overwhelming; he knew that he would literally go to the end of the earth for her, do whatever he could to make her happy. He watched her smile up at him and the enormity of his feelings towards her was completely overpowering. He continued to move in and out of her, feeling her muscles tighten and loosen around his cock as he thrust and he knew that he wouldn't last much longer. He wanted to watch her come undone before he did and so he took one of his hands and trailed it along her side as he thrust harder and faster into her, his thumb finding her clit and she gasped as he moved his thumb in slow deliberate circles over it. He watched as her breathing become deeper and heavier, and he knew that she wasn't far off coming. He leant down and placed a soft kiss on her lips before lifting himself off her, watching as his name fell from her lips in the most beautiful way, her body succumbing to the pleasure that he had created. And that thought alone was enough to bring him to orgasm too.

He slowed his movements and once they had both come down from their high, he leaned back in to her and placed two kisses on her lips and another on the end of her nose, before pulling out of her and rolling onto his back, trying to bring his breathing back to a more normal pace.

Haley waited for a few minutes as she felt her heart rate slow down and then leaned over to place a kiss on Nathan's chest before jumping up from the bed. She reached into her suitcase and pulled out a loose fitting summer dress which she pulled onto her body.

Nathan looked up from his position on the bed at her in complete confusion. "What the hell are you doing Hales, come back to bed…" He said as he watched her put her dress on, walk over to him and hold her hand out.

"Come on. Get up." Haley demanded and then grabbed a hold of his hand when she realised that he had no intention whatsoever of moving. She pulled him up into a sitting position and then let go of his hand. She found his jeans and boxers on the floor and threw them over to him.

Nathan groaned. "Hales, why the hell am I getting dressed?" He asked, wanting nothing more than to just curl up in the bed with her.

"Because I want to do something." Haley responded and then walked out of the bedroom, grabbed the key card from the dining table and opened the door to the suite she was staying in, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Nathan.

Nathan sighed as he pulled his jeans and boxers onto his body and then wandered into the living room area of the suite, looking for his flip flops. "Where are my…?" He started to ask but found that Haley had pulled him out of the room and closed the door behind her before he had even managed to finish his sentence. He was now being marched shirtless and barefoot along the corridor of the hotel. "Hales where the hell are we going?" He asked.

"To get a drink." Haley replied as she walked past the elevator and along to the other side of the hotel. She then pulled him into a room and walked up to the bar, ordering a scotch for Nathan and a glass of white wine for herself, before motioning for Nathan to follow her once she had the drinks in her hands.

Nathan followed her outside onto a terrace, which had a wood fire crackling underneath two trees which were filled with lanterns, and he smiled at the incredibly romantic atmosphere that was before him. He watched as Haley placed the key card on the table and then she sat down on one of the cushioned chairs. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, pulling her body into his as she rested her head on his shoulder, handing him his glass of scotch. She curled her legs up onto the chair and he heard her sigh as he took a sip of the drink and then placed it on the table in front of them.

Haley could feel the heat from the fire warm up her body and she rested her hand on Nathan's stomach, drawing slow, lazy circles on his skin. She looked around from her position on the chair, taking in the starry night sky that she could just make out through the leaves of the trees they were sitting under. She took a sip of her wine and then rested it against her body. "So how did your meeting go?" She asked.

"I haven't had it yet. I managed to get Jake to push it back to tomorrow so that I could come out here to see you." Nathan responded as he closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Haley's, revelling in the feel of her being in his arms.

"I'm sorry Nathan, you shouldn't have done that, won't they be mad at you for cancelling the meeting?" Haley asked as she turned her head up to look at him, instantly feeling incredibly guilty about her reaction to the news that he wouldn't be able to come and see her earlier when she had been speaking to him on the phone. The last thing that she wanted was for him to get into trouble with his coaches for messing them around, just so that he could see her. She knew that she should have handled the phone conversation better than she had done.

Nathan lifted his head away from her and looked down at her face, the fire creating a soft glow on her cheeks, and he couldn't help but smile at the concern that was evident not only in her words but also in the way that she was looking at him. "Don't worry Hales, its fine; Jake wouldn't have let me cancel it if it would cause me to get into trouble with them." Nathan responded as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

Haley continued to look at him, wanting to make sure that what he was saying was true and that he wasn't just saying those things to ease her conscience, and once satisfied that he was, she turned her head again and leant back into him. "Good." She said as she felt Nathan continue to run his fingers ever so softly through her hair.

Nathan turned his head slightly and placed a lingering kiss on the top of her head as he continued to play with her hair. They sat together in silence, nothing but the sounds of the night and the wood crackling in the fire filling the air. Eventually, he heard her breathing become steadier, and he knew that she had fallen asleep. He reached over, grabbed her still full glass of wine and placed it on the table, picking up his scotch in the process, being incredibly careful to not wake Haley and finished it off, before sitting back and gently placing Haley in his lap, wrapping his arms securely around her before lifting them both up. He leant down slowly and picked up the key card from the table before wandering back to the hotel room with her in his arms.

Once inside, he walked into the bedroom and pulled the duvet back, placing Haley inside of the bed, lifting her up so that he could take the dress off her body. She stirred slightly as he lay her back down against the pillows, and he tucked the duvet around her, before brushing his hand through her hair one last time, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently.

He stripped his jeans off his body and climbed into bed next to her. He felt her roll over and reach for him, and he pulled her into his body, her head resting in the crook of his neck. "I love you so, so much, Haley James." Nathan whispered into her hair as he kissed her head softly.

"I love you too Nathan Scott." Haley whispered against his neck, before she fell back into the calmest night's sleep she'd had ever since she had started this tour, wrapped up in the arms of the man she loved.

~*~

The following morning, Haley felt someone stroke her head and place a soft kiss on her forehead again. She stirred in her sleep, rolling over.

Nathan pulled back from her head slowly; realising that he had nearly woke her up. "I love you baby." He whispered before taking one last look at her sleeping form and then began to tip toe out of the bedroom.

"Nathan…" Haley called as she opened her eyes and sat up in the bed, finding Nathan halfway between the door and the bed.

Nathan shook his head. "Sorry Hales, I didn't mean to wake you." He said as he turned around to face her and walked over to the bed. "I have to go, my flights in a couple of hours and I can't miss it."

"I know." Haley said, unable to hide the disappointment from the tone of her voice, before quickly realising that she should just be grateful that he had managed to come out here in the first place. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you too." She said with a smile, rising up in the bed to give him a kiss on the lips. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Call me when you land, please."

"Of course." Nathan responded. "I really have to go." He continued as he kissed her lips again. "I love you."

"Love you too." Haley replied. "Go on, go!" She said when he continued to look at her instead of getting himself to the airport. She sighed as she watch him walk out of the bedroom and then heard the click of the door close, and once again found that she was in a huge bed, in a foreign hotel room, completely alone. She lay back down in the bed and curled up, thinking about how long it would be before she would see him again. She rolled over and found herself on his pillow. She may be alone but at least she could still smell him.

~*~

Six hours later, Nathan found himself in the elevator on his way up to Jake's office. He wondered why the hell he had left him the message to come over and see him first, given how important and how much grief he had given him for cancelling yesterday's meeting but he shrugged it off. He was still on an incredible high from spending the night with Haley, and he was one hundred percent sure that nothing could dampen his mood for the next week at least.

He rounded the corner and knocked on Jake's door before walking inside and plopping himself on one of the chairs that faced his desk.

"How was Haley?" Jake asked once Nathan had settled down in his office.

"Amazing, you should have seen her up on that stage Jake, she was just perfect!" Nathan gushed, getting himself ready to launch into a minute by minute play of the whole concert, only he stopped himself when he glanced up at Jake and noted the expression on his face. "What is it?" He deadpanned, knowing that he had something important to tell him.

Jake sighed heavily, before handing Nathan a letter, chickening out on telling him himself, he honestly didn't have a clue how he would react to the news, not after what Peyton had revealed to him last night when he had told her about it.

Nathan furrowed his brow as he snatched the letter from Jake's grasp, finding himself getting pissed off at him already for being so weird about all this. Why couldn't he just spit it out and tell him. He glared at Jake for a second, trying to work out what the hell was going on before lowering his gaze to read the letter.

Jake waited nervously for Nathan to finish reading, wondering why it seemed that it took a whole hour when in fact only minutes had passed.

Nathan stopped reading and then glanced up at Jake, finding himself in a state of absolute fury and confusion. "What the fuck is this?"

A**N – I know, I know, that is sooooooooo mean of me! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.**

**A sneak peek is available, just let me know in a review if you want it and I'll get it out as soon as possible. I'm actually quite surprised how easily this chapter came to me, I pretty much managed to get it written in one sitting, which is unheard of for me.**

**Anyhow, I'm going to post a teaser on my blog in a couple of days which will be a HUGE hint as to what is going on with Nathan… so keep an eye out for it, I wonder if you'll be able to guess what the drama is about then?! For those of you that don't know, I started a blog for my stories, the address is www (dot) ilovenaley (dot) blogspot (dot) com. I'll be posting teasers, pictures and whatnot for my stories on it, so I hope you all check it out!**

**There are also pictures of the hotel on the page too, just so you guys can picture it. **


	25. Chapter 25

**AN – Hey! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews you left for the last chapter. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to leave your comments and thoughts!**

**I also wanted to say thanks to Judy who didn't have an account so I couldn't respond personally – I'm so pleased you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too and also to :) who also didn't have an account – I'm glad you enjoyed reading the story and I hope you enjoy this update!**

**I know the way that I left the last chapter was a little bit mean but trust me… there is a plan for this story. I also put a picture spoiler on my blog for this chapter – so maybe you all know what's coming if you checked that out?**

**Right, so I don't really think there's much left for me to say. I'll talk more at the bottom as I don't want to spoil anything up here before you've read the chapter!**

**Oh, and I started another story, it's called Never Say Never… but I'll give you another reminder at the bottom too so that you can go and check it out once you've read this chapter!**

**Big thanks to Rebecca who read through this for me, you're amazing hun!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

"Peyton, there is no way that I'm going to move that interview to tomorrow night." Haley screeched down the phone to her manager or friend or whatever the hell she was, huffing in complete frustration that she would even suggest such a ridiculous idea. It was one of the only free nights that she'd had in her ridiculously busy schedule in a whole month, and given that she was currently in Boston, where she would be playing a concert tonight, and had an interview in the morning, given that the late afternoon and evening were free, she had fully intended on spending tomorrow night at home in New York with Nathan, which Peyton had known about, so why she was suggesting placing an interview bang smack in the middle of all that was just completely insane.

"Haley, it's a really important interview." Peyton tried to reason with Haley. "I know you wanted to go home that night but I really think you need to consider doing it." She wasn't trying to be a bitch, even though she was sure that Haley would see it that way anyway, but sometimes she had to put her manager hat on instead of her best friend hat. And this was one of those times. "I know how much you miss Nathan, Haley…"

"Peyton, you don't have even the slightest idea about how much I miss him and I'm sorry, I don't care if the Pope wants to meet me tomorrow night, nothing, and I mean nothing is going to stop me from going home." Haley interrupted her friend, or was she being her manager right now, either way it didn't matter. She answered her in an incredibly determined and stern voice, hoping that she was getting the message. She continued walking through the corridors of the venue she was going to be playing in that night, not really looking where she was going because she was too flustered at the thought of not being able to see Nathan tomorrow. She'd been looking forward to it so much and was going to make sure that she stood her ground on this one. She needed to see him desperately; once again it had been far too long since she had seen him.

"Haley…" Peyton sighed down the phone, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle, and she couldn't exactly blame Haley for wanting to see Nathan. And it would probably be in her best interest to stop arguing with her right now anyway, because she was sure that Nathan would hunt her down and kill her if he didn't see Haley tomorrow. He'd been on edge ever since he'd come back from Dallas, obviously missing his girlfriend far too much than was healthy.

Haley rounded the corner and came to the stairs which lead to the stage. She was on her way to complete a sound and light check and wasn't really concentrating on where she was going. "Peyton don't sigh at me like that. It's pretty much been a whole month since I have seen him and I miss him like crazy. I can't not see him tomorrow, I'm sorry; you're just going to have… Fuck!" Haley cried out in surprise as she slipped down the last three steps and landed on the stage right back smack on her ass, moaning as the pain seared its way through her body.

"Haley, are you okay?" Peyton asked worriedly, having heard her swear and then some bumping noise coming from down the phone, and she wondered what the hell she was doing.

"Oh shit!" Haley groaned. "I just fell down some stairs." She moaned as she rubbed on her lower back trying to soothe the pain that was shooting through her body.

"God Haley, are you okay, are you hurt?" Peyton screamed down the phone. "Have you broken something? Do you need an ambulance?" God, that was the last thing that she needed, her best friend hurting herself while she was stuck in New York, completely unable to help her.

"No, no, I'm fine." Haley said as some of the backstage people rushed over and helped her stand up again. She stood up and then rubbed on her lower back with her hand, which was pretty sore and then limped while she walked onto the centre of the stage, hissing a little as she stretched out her back and the pain continued to rush through her body.

"Haley, you don't sound fine, I think you should go to the hospital." Peyton said once she had heard Haley hiss down the phone at her.

"I don't need to go to hospital." Haley dismissed her suggestion. She'd just fallen down the stairs that was all; it wasn't like she had broken anything.

"Well I still want it checked out by a doctor Haley." Peyton demanded. "You're not going to perform tonight unless you've had it checked out by someone." She had to have it checked out anyway, for insurance purposes, which Peyton was glad about as she wanted to make sure that her friend was okay. "I'll call a Doctor and get him to come out to the venue so he can check you out."

"Fine, whatever." Haley said as she stood in the middle of the stage. She was sure there was nothing wrong with her but she understood the need for her to get it checked out. The pain was starting to subside now anyway, or at least it wasn't hurting as much as it had done when she first stood up, she'd probably just end up with a nasty bruise or something. "Anyway, I have to go because they want to do this sound test." She said as she pulled the microphone out of the stand with her free hand.

"Haley I don't think you should be doing any sound checks until the Doctor has said you can move." Peyton said down the phone as she turned to her address book, trying to find someone who could help her find a Doctor for Haley.

"Peyton stop being so dramatic, I'm fine. I understand the need for a Doctor so go ahead and get someone to come out here but I am perfectly capable of completing a sound check. And do not move that interview, I'm not doing it tomorrow night, I'm going home instead. I'll talk to you later." Haley said as she snapped her phone shut and got on with her day.

~*~

The Doctor had been and gone and had said something about inflamed something or other, Haley hadn't really been listening to him, instead she had been daydreaming about being with Nathan tomorrow night. He had handed her a bottle of medication and told her to take it easy, but didn't say anything about her not performing which she was pleased about because she really didn't want to have to cancel a show because of a bit of a bruised back.

She had since returned to her dressing room and had just taken one of the tablets when she heard her phone ringing from her bag and winced slightly as she bent down to pick her bag up off the floor. She eventually found her phone and smiled when she saw that Nathan was calling her. She answered the call and heard him shouting down the phone at her before she'd even had a chance to put the phone to her ear.

"Thank God Hales, why the hell haven't you been answering your phone? What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" Nathan rushed out as soon as he heard the call connect. He was about to jump on a plane and head up to Boston if her phone had rung through to voicemail one more time. He fucking hated that thing; it was quite possibly the worst invention ever, especially in an emergency like this one. What good did it do, him leaving message after message, asking her to call him when she clearly didn't have her phone on her?

"Jesus, one question at a time Nathan!" Haley said as she rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Who told you?" She asked, knowing that he had heard about the accident she'd had earlier on this afternoon, why else would he be screaming at her like that?

"Peyton called me. Why haven't you been answering your phone? I've been worried sick about you." Nathan almost shouted down the phone to her as he paced up and down the patio of their home. He'd been so damn worried about her, Peyton had insisted that she sounded fine but he didn't care what she said, he needed to talk to her and find out for himself if she really was okay.

"My phone was in my bag. And there's nothing to worry about, I'm fine honestly." Haley responded as she lowered herself down to the sofa slowly, hissing in pain a little as she did so.

Nathan heard her hissing and immediately grew panicked again. "You don't sound fine Hales, what the hell happened?" He asked, the concern for his girlfriend having evaded every single one of his thoughts since Peyton had called him an hour ago and hearing her moaning like she was doing really wasn't helping to ease any of his worries.

"I fell down a couple of stairs and bruised my back, or did something to my back, I can't remember what the Doctor said, but he did say that I can perform tonight so that must mean that everything's fine. It just hurts a little at the moment but the pain is slowly going away. So stop worrying!" Haley answered him as she sat back in the sofa, feeling a little more comfortable now that she wasn't moving around.

"Are you sure you should be performing tonight Hales?" Nathan asked, unable to just stop worrying about her. If she'd hurt herself he didn't want her to risk doing more injury to herself just because she didn't want to disappoint anybody. She could always put on another show for all her fans on a different date, he was sure that everyone would understand if she didn't feel up to putting on a show because she had hurt herself.

"Nathan, please stop. The Doctor has said its fine for me to perform and by the time this evening rolls around I am sure that I will be fine also. He's given me some stuff to take, which I have done. If he'd had any concerns about me performing he wouldn't have said it was okay to, would he?" Haley asked, rolling her eyes once again at how concerned he was for her. She knew it was sweet of him to be so worried but she'd already told him that everything was fine.

"Okay, fine. But if you still feel in pain I don't want you getting up on that stage, okay Hales?" Nathan demanded, wanting her to agree to his request. He wouldn't let her make her injury any worse for herself.

"Fine." Haley returned, before switching the subject because she really didn't want to be discussing what she was sure was just a bruised back with her boyfriend for any longer than they already had. "So what are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm just on the patio." Nathan returned as he leaned against the railing and looked down at their garden. "I think you're really going to like what John has done to the garden, it looks really nice."

"I hope I like it, I'm so excited to come home! Maybe we can go to the depot store and pick out some paint for the bedrooms before I have to catch the flight back." Haley suggested, her mind working in overtime as she thought about what colours she wanted to paint all the bedrooms in their house. She couldn't wait to spend some quality time in their house together once this tour was over, even though the house had been theirs for some time now, she'd not really had a chance to live in it properly yet, and she was so excited about it.

Nathan chuckled at her enthusiasm, she was only going to be home for one night yet she wanted to go to the depot store to pick out paint. God he had missed her so much. However he knew that once they were alone, he had something extremely important to tell her, and he had no idea how the hell he was going to be able to bring it up with her, nor did he know how the hell she was going to react to what he had to tell her. He suddenly felt this wave of emotion wash over him, feeling the need to proclaim how much he loved her, and he knew that it was because he was feeling guilty about not telling her his news sooner but it really wasn't something he had wanted to do over the phone. "Hales I love you so much. I want you to know that whatever happens between us that I will always love you." He said seriously, and with such sincerity he knew that she wouldn't be able to doubt his feelings towards her, or at least he hoped that she wouldn't.

Haley frowned at his sudden declaration of his feelings towards her, and a sense of unease flittered over her. Where the hell had that come from? Why did he feel the need to become so serious all of a sudden? Hadn't she just been talking about picking out paint? "Nathan, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice laced with concern and panic.

_Shit. _Now he'd worried her. "Nothing baby." Nathan returned casually. "I just wanted you to know that I love you and that I miss you so much, I can't wait to see you tomorrow." He continued, hoping that by now changing the subject that he would ease her fears somewhat, the last thing he wanted her to do was worry about him, especially when she had just hurt herself. "So are you coming straight to the game tomorrow or will I have a chance to see you before I need to leave?"

Haley continued to frown, she knew that something was wrong but given that he had just changed the subject, he obviously didn't want to talk to her about it right now. She'd try to remember to ask him about what was on his mind when she got home tomorrow. "I think I'll have to go straight to the game as my flight doesn't land until late afternoon so you'll already be at the stadium." She answered.

"Okay, well I'd better go because I need to head to training. I miss you baby." Nathan said as he walked inside the house and closed the patio doors behind him.

"I miss you too, have fun at training." Haley replied.

"Have a good show and I'll speak to you later on. Love you." Nathan said while twisting the key in the door, and then walked towards the front door, picking up his car keys that lay on the counter as he moved through the house.

"Love you too. Bye." Haley said as she hung up the phone and stared at it for a while, wondering what the hell was going on with him. Something was wrong; she just didn't have a clue about what it was.

~*~

The following day, Haley found herself back in the stadium, cheering along with all the other Knicks fans. Nathan was playing wonderfully, as usual, and she had to really resist the urge to just run onto the court and give him a kiss while he was playing, he looked so sexy in his uniform, and she had missed him like crazy over the past month. It seemed that seeing him after what felt like an eternity of being away from him only intensified the emotions she felt for him, she was literally ready to burst with excitement at being close to him again.

Nathan was concentrating on his game, at least he was trying to but he kept finding himself distracted by his gorgeous girlfriend that was seated on the front row. She was wearing an incredibly short dress which showed off her legs to perfection. He managed to shake his head of his fantasies though and concentrate on the game, somehow having her here seemed to help him up his game slightly, and he knew that he was playing well. He didn't know whether that was as a result of wanting to show off to her or what, but it didn't really matter. He was so excited at seeing her again that he had almost forgotten that he had to tell her something quite serious. The final buzzer was moments away from sounding and he had the ball in his hands. The Knicks had won the game anyway, there was no need for him to shoot the ball but he wanted to anyway, just to prove that he was the best. He waited until there were three seconds left on the clock and then took a shot at the basket, watching in satisfaction as the buzzer sounded and the ball swept neatly through the hoop.

He celebrated with his team mates, throwing a wink over to Haley, and motioned that he was going to take a shower and then would be right out to meet her. He watched as she nodded her head in understanding and then winced as she took a hold of her back and sat back down in the seat. He furrowed his brow, finding himself slightly annoyed at her that she was still in pain and had obviously played her concert like that too last night. He'd have to talk to her about it and make sure that it wasn't hurting her too much.

Haley had been playing on her phone for the last half an hour as she waited for Nathan to return from his shower. She smiled as she answered a text from Peyton and set her alarm on her phone for the morning, before nearly jumping out of her seat when she felt Nathan lean down and whisper in her ear.

"Do you know how distracting your legs are?" Nathan whispered in her ear from behind her. He had walked along the row of seats directly behind her, wanting to surprise her, which judging by the fact that she had just jumped when he began to whisper to her, he had succeeded in doing. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned in to place a kiss on her neck, relishing in the smell and the softness of her skin. He didn't know why but he completely lost himself whenever he was around her, and being apart from her for so long was quite honestly one of the hardest things that he'd ever had to do in his whole life.

Haley giggled and completely melted into the back of her chair, needing to be closer to Nathan. She closed her eyes when she felt his lips land on her neck and moaned when she felt his tongue run around her pulse point. "You certainly didn't look like you were distracted up there." She teased as she lifted one of her hands and wrapped it around his neck. She turned her head towards him and guided his mouth to hers, feeling her lips connect with his. She moved her mouth over his, running her tongue along his bottom lip and sliding it inside his mouth as soon as he allowed her too. She heard him groan when her tongue touched his and she leaned her head to the side, needing to deepen the kiss.

God he had missed her so damn much. Every little thing about her he had missed. The way she smelt, the way she giggled, the way she felt in his hands; all of it. He pulled away from her mouth and smiled softly at her as he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

Haley smiled back at him, losing herself in his bright blue eyes. She leaned into him again, placing a lingering kiss on his lips before pulling away from him again. "Hey you." She whispered.

"Hello beautiful." Nathan whispered back. "God I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Haley responded as her eyes darted all over his face. She was so overwhelmed at seeing him again and after a whole month passing since she had seen him last, she needed to get him home right now. "Come on, I can't have you in those clothes for a second longer." She said as she raised her eyebrows at him suggestively.

"Is that so?" Nathan returned with a smirk. "And what, may I ask do you plan on doing to me once you have me naked?"

Haley smiled at him as she licked her lips, before pulling his head down closer to hers so that she could whisper in his ear. "I plan on fucking you, hard." She whispered seductively in his ear, pulling away and giggling in satisfaction when she heard Nathan moan. She twisted around in her chair and then groaned heavily when she stood up, completely forgetting the fact that her back was hurting her.

Nathan immediately reached out his hands and held onto her. "Haley, are you okay?" He asked, a concerned look etched on his face as he watched her hand rub over the bottom of her back. He furrowed his brow at her, not believing that he had forgotten about her back. He shook his head at himself, she was too damn distracting, that was the problem. "Come on you, the only one of us that is going to be taking their clothes off tonight is you." He said as he jumped over the chairs and began to lead them out to his car.

"Really?" Haley asked as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Well you're going to have to at least drop the trousers to do what I had in mind."

"Well then I don't think we are on the same page baby, because there is no way we are having sex tonight." Nathan returned as he opened up the door to the car park.

Haley stopped walking and dropped her mouth open in shock. "What?" She asked, confused about what he had just said. They hadn't seen each other in a month and he had just said that they weren't going to have sex tonight, was he crazy?

"Haley I am not going to have sex with you when you're in so much pain. I'm going to give you a massage instead." Nathan said, and watched with a grin on his face as she tried to argue back at him, only he cut her off before she could even begin. "No buts about it Hales. Now come on, let's go home." He said as he held open the door to his car for her to climb in.

~*~

Nathan sat on top of Haley, his hands running up and down her sexy, naked back, being extremely careful so that none of this weight was actually placed on her and was all in fact resting on his legs, which were tucked up alongside her. He relished in the feel of her soft skin underneath his fingertips, but he found that his mind was a million miles away. His fingers ran back up her back gently, before moving along to her shoulders and he squeezed them softly, eliciting a moan to fall from Haley's lips before he began to work his fingers back down her spine.

Haley sighed softly as she laid her head to the side on the pillows of their bed. She felt so grateful that he had been playing a home game today, and wasn't playing away, and that she had managed to keep a free night on her increasingly busy schedule. She still couldn't believe that another month had passed without her seeing him; she didn't know how she was going to be able to last another. But at least after just one more month, the tour would be over and she wouldn't have to leave him for such a long period of time again.

The basketball season was now in full swing, and Nathan was playing brilliantly in each game he had played, not just tonight as she had witnessed herself, but it wasn't like she would have expected anything less from him. Her tour was being received really well by her fans, so it seemed that everything was going perfectly between them both at the moment, career wise. The only thing she disliked about their success was the fact that it kept them away from each other for so long. The next time she had a tour though, she would make sure that she planned it so that it fell exactly over the time that Nathan had off in the summer, so that he could travel with her, meaning that they wouldn't have to be apart from each other like they were now. "You know after the way you played tonight Nathan, I should be the one giving you a massage." She joked as she moaned again, feeling his fingers work around her shoulder blades.

Nathan smiled, her voice distracting his thoughts for a second and he leaned down as he placed a gentle kiss right at the top of her back. "I'm not the one on medication for a bad back though Hales, you are. Now where does it hurt?" He asked softly as he pulled himself back up and continued to work her skin with his fingers.

Haley closed her eyes, finding that she was completely relaxed. "Would you believe me if I said everywhere?" She asked, moaning quietly as his magical hands continued to work wonders on her back as she felt his fingers begin to trail down towards the bottom of her back.

Nathan chuckled quietly, shifting his position further down her legs as he massaged the skin at the bottom of her back, his expression quickly changing again as he realised once more that he was hiding something huge from her; something that was going to change their lives enormously. He had this knot in the pit of his stomach that tightened each time he thought about it. He'd already kept this from her for a month, believing that he needed to tell her in person, but now that she was here, he wasn't sure if he was going to have the guts to do so.

"Mmmm that feels so good." Haley moaned. She felt his fingers move slightly onto her ass and couldn't help the fact that she was getting turned on. Nathan was currently sat on top of her in just his boxers and she was completely naked underneath him and she could feel his arousal pressing into her leg. She just needed to convince him that her back wasn't hurting as much as it was because she desperately wanted him inside of her. She wanted that closeness and that connection with him tonight because she knew that they had no clear spots in either of their schedules to make a visit in the last month of her tour sensible and because of that, she knew that it was unlikely to happen. She had also dosed herself up on medication and the pain was more a dull ache now anyway so surely he would agree.

Nathan continued working his hands on her lower back but stopped when he watched Haley wither underneath him. He immediately started to move off her but as soon as he had lifted himself up off her body slightly, she flipped herself around and he now had the most perfect view of her body and once again all thoughts of needing to talk to her and of the fact that her back was hurting her were completely wiped from his mind. He knew that he needed to remove himself away from her tempting body, but she seemed to sense exactly what he was about to do because before he knew what was happening, her hand was trailing down his chest and had found his traitorous cock which was rock hard and standing to full attention. He groaned as he felt her wrap her hand around himself and tried desperately not to begin rocking into her palm.

Haley licked her lips as her eyes travelled down his deliciously muscled chest and then settled on his cock. She watched as she began to pump her hand up and down his length, completely fascinated with his cock. She moved her eyes back up his body and eventually settled her gaze on Nathan's face, and see could see that he was straining to keep control. She knew that she was being a little bit cruel, he was only worried about hurting her, which was why he didn't want them to have sex tonight, but she hadn't seen him in a month, and she wasn't likely to see him for another and so there was no way in hell that she wasn't going to at least try. She tightened her grip on his cock as she continued to move her hand along his shaft, running her thumb in a circle around the top of it before running her hand back down, hearing Nathan groan in appreciation.

God he really needed to be able to control himself better around her. The way she was carrying on, he'd ram himself into her without a second thought about her back. "Hales." He warned as he clenched his eyes shut unable to stop his hips from thrusting his cock into her palm.

"Nathan?" Haley asked as she licked her lips once more, waiting for him to open his eyes and look down at her. Once she was sure that she had his concentration, and his eyes connected with hers she spoke again. "Kiss me." She whispered.

Nathan groaned in defeat. How the hell could he say no to such a temptress? He lowered his body back down to hers and rested as much of his weight as he could on his forearms which he rested alongside her arms. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her lightly on the lips twice, before instantly finding himself caught up with wanting more. He pressed his lips to her with more force, moving his mouth over hers, feeling her own respond as he slid his tongue into her mouth, searching for hers, and he heard Haley moan into his mouth and wrap her arms around his neck once he started tangling his tongue with hers.

Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to get his body closer to her but he was resisting her efforts. She desperately wanted to feel his weight on top of her. She pulled away from his mouth and left a trail of kisses along his jaw until she found his ear. She bit down on his earlobe and tugged on it before she released it. "Nathan I want you." She said whispered seductively in his ear, before lowering her mouth to his neck and then proceeded to nip and bite her way along it.

"God Haley, you can't say things like that to me." Nathan moaned as he felt her teeth work their way along his skin. His fists were clenching into the covers of their bed as he tried to summon all the control he had inside of him. His cock was literally throbbing, aching to be inside of her but he didn't want to hurt her, he'd seen how much pain she had been in earlier and he was not going to cause her any more pain.

"Why not?" Haley mumbled into his skin as she started to run her fingernails up and down his back, her mouth still latched onto his neck.

"Because of your back Hales." Nathan groaned, cursing the fact that her fingers felt so good on his skin.

"My back is fine Nathan; I just want you inside of me." Haley murmured against the side of his neck as she found his pulse point and ran her tongue around it in a circle before closing her mouth over it, loving the way the roughness of his skin felt against her lips.

And with those words, Nathan knew that he had lost every single shred of his resolve. He pulled away from her and hovered above her face. He looked deeply into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled down at her as his eyes wandered over her face before he grew serious again. "If it hurts you Hales, you have to tell me okay, I don't want to be the cause of any of your pain." He demanded.

"I promise if it hurts I'll tell you." Haley returned before lifting her face up from the pillows and placing a kiss on his lips as her hand trailed down his back, slipped over his hip and found his cock once again, guiding him towards her. She let go of him once she had placed him at her entrance and felt him push into her. "God you feel so good." Haley moaned as she brought her hands up to the top of his back and fisted her hands in his hair, pulling his mouth down onto hers as she kissed him hungrily.

Nathan pulled out of her before repeating the action, groaning into her mouth as he felt her tongue connect with his. He continued to move in and out of her at a slow, lazy pace as he pulled his mouth away from her and sped up his actions ever so slightly, all the while watching her face for any signs of discomfort.

"I'm not going to break Nathan." Haley said as she raked her nails down his scalp to his neck, encouraging him to go faster. This slow pace was just too slow for her to handle. She moaned when she felt him up the pace slightly, but it still wasn't enough. "More." She whispered and then groaned loudly when he upped the pace again, but it still wasn't enough for her. "Jesus Christ Nathan, please, just fuck me!" She cried out in exasperation.

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at her. He lowered his mouth to her ear and latched onto her earlobe with his teeth. "Someone's a little impatient tonight." He teased her as he let go of her ear.

"Well someone hasn't seen her sexy boyfriend in a damn month, and instead of screwing her like she wants him to, he's treating her like it's her first time or something." Haley teased back, rolling her eyes at Nathan. "My back is fine, it doesn't hurt." She reassured him.

Nathan looked into her eyes, wanting to know whether she was telling the truth but she just smiled up at him, so he increased the pace that he was moving in and out of her again, which seemed to be what she wanted because she then moaned out his name. He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on the side of her neck as he continued to thrust into her, upping the pace a little more which was more than appreciated by Haley, given the sounds that were dripping from her lips. He felt her clench her muscles around his length and groaned into her skin. He could tell that she was close now, and so was he, so he lowered his hand in between where their bodies were and found her clit, rubbing it with his thumb.

"God Nathan!" Haley cried out as she felt her orgasm begin, the waves of pleasure coursing through her body, making her shudder underneath him as she called out his name repeatedly, feeling Nathan's orgasm follow quickly as he panted into her neck, her own name falling from his lips as she felt him spill into her body.

Nathan lifted himself up off her body and placed a kiss on her lips before rolling off her. He watched as Haley curled up and shifted herself over to him, wincing a little as she did so. "Is your back okay baby?" He asked softly as he felt her snuggle against his shoulder.

"It's fine." Haley returned as she closed her eyes and revelled in the feel of being wrapped up in him again. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." Nathan returned. He ran his fingers through her hair, knowing that he needed to summon the courage to talk to her, but he really was struggling to find the words that he needed to even begin, let alone actually tell her what was going on. He didn't know how long he lay there thinking but he had finally found whatever the hell he had been looking for. "Hales?" He whispered, only to hear nothing from her in return. He lifted his head up off the pillow and saw that she was fast asleep. He sighed as he lay his head back down on the pillow, turning his head towards her, placing a kiss on the top of her head and breathing in her scent. Tomorrow. He'd have to tell her tomorrow.

~*~

Haley had already showered and dressed and was sat on the edge of their bed, watching Nathan as he slept soundly. It was ridiculously early in the morning but she had to get back to Boston as she had a press conference later this morning and then a show to perform tonight. She leaned down over Nathan and placed a kiss on his lips and watched as he stirred a little in his sleep, before settling down again. She didn't want to wake him, not when he had to be so tired after the game he had played last night. She placed another kiss on his cheek and then walked out of the bedroom, heading downstairs to the car that was waiting for her.

~*~

Two weeks later, Nathan found himself in a car on the opposite side of the country. He cranked up the air conditioning with the dials that sat in front of him and then he closed his eyes as the hot sun beat down through the window. He couldn't believe that he was here, but moreover, he couldn't believe that he was here without Haley knowing about it.

He'd been absolutely furious when Jake had shown him the letter, it had come out of nowhere, and had completely shocked him, so much so that he was about to punch him for it. All he could think about was how much Haley was going to hate it, how much she was going to resent him for ruining the life they had built together in New York, they'd only just moved into the house for God's sake.

But he felt like the biggest shit on the planet for not having the nerve to tell her about it. He tried to reason with himself, telling himself that he was just going to check it out, that it was pointless worrying her about something that might not happen, but he knew that his excuses weren't washing with him; they were doing nothing to quell the guilt that he felt when he thought about what he was doing.

He'd gone to sleep two weeks ago with the intent of telling her in the morning, but when he had woken up, she had already gone. He knew that what he had to tell her needed a face to face conversation and he had missed the only opportunity he was going to get before he headed out there. He had called her immediately when he realised that she had gone but he knew that he couldn't tell her over the phone, he had to do this in person, he had to be able to see her reaction to his news for himself. He knew it was selfish and greedy of him to do so but he'd have to live with that. And he hoped that when he did tell her, that she would understand.

He felt the car roll to a stop and he opened his eyes. The driver opened the door and he stepped out, finding a man standing in a suit waiting to greet him.

"Welcome to LA Nathan Scott, I can't tell you how happy we are to have you here. Why don't we head inside and show you around the stadium before we have our meeting?"

**AN – Okay… so some of you guys guessed what was in the letter! Please let me know what you thought of the chapter by dropping me a review. But what if I told you that the letter and the fact that Nathan has gone to LA isn't where the drama ends… it's definitely a part of it but there is still a bit left to happen. And Nathan still hasn't told Haley… How is she going to find out?**

**A sneak peek will be available to those of you that want it, just let me know in your review if you want to read it and I'll get it out to you as soon as it's written.**

**And don't forget to check out my new story, Never Say Never, just click on my pen name at the top of this screen which will take you to my profile and then you can find a link to the story there! I have two chapters up at the moment and the third one should be up soon!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN – Alright guys! Once again thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews of the last chapter. **

**As always just some words to those of you that reviewed without accounts so I couldn't respond to them personally. **Keeta – **I'm so pleased to hear you are enjoying the story and I know, Nathan's bad for not telling Haley about this sooner. **:o – **I'm so glad you liked the update, and I know, they are just about to start a life together in New York… **Ann – **I'm so pleased you continue to enjoy my writing for all my stories! Hope you enjoy the update! **

**Right, so I don't really think there's much more to say apart from that I hope you all enjoy this update! Bit of a bumpy ride this chapter…**

**Many thanks to Rebecca for reading through this for me before I posted!**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Nathan had just walked out of his meeting with the management at the LA Lakers. He had to admit, the deal they were proposing sounded more than amazing, in fact it was quite possibly more than he could ever have dreamed of being offered. Of course he was pleased, and incredibly proud of himself, playing for the Lakers would be a dream come true for him, something he had wanted to achieve since he had been young, but as soon as he walked out of the room the guilt rushed over him in what felt like a tidal wave. How the hell could he even be considering accepting something as monumental as this without having even hinted to Haley that this was happening, or rather, could happen?

It would change everything, absolutely everything. They would have to start a whole new life out here in LA which unfortunately for him was the one place in the world that he knew she hated. She'd told him every single time that she had to come out to LA that she despised the place, he even recalled a conversation he'd had with her when she had been out in LA one time where she had told him that she thought LA was 'the worst place in the world'. How the hell was he going to get her to agree to this? Would she even want to agree to this?

He sighed heavily to himself as he walked out of the stadium towards the waiting car. He just prayed that she didn't find out how long he'd been keeping this from her because the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he'd been an absolute coward and he knew now that he should have just told her as soon as he had found out about the whole damn thing instead of keeping it from her and hiding behind his pathetic excuses.

The people he'd just had the meeting with told him that they were going out for dinner and a few drinks with some of the team tonight so that he could mingle and meet some of them, and of course he had said yes to going with them because he could hardly say no, could he? He had been informed that a car would be coming to pick him up from his Beverly Hills hotel at seven o'clock this evening, which meant that he had about an hour and a half to kill before he needed to be ready. His phone had been vibrating in his pocket for the last hour but he couldn't bring himself to look at the message because he had a feeling that it was from Haley, and he didn't want to feel any more guilty than he did so right now.

Nathan walked out of the stadium and headed for the car which had brought him here from the airport, seeing that the driver was ready to take him to the hotel he would be staying at for the night, before returning back to New York the following day. He allowed the driver to open the door for him. "Thanks." He mumbled as he climbed into the black car and sunk into the leather seats, instantly finding relief from the humid air in the cool air conditioned car.

"Going to the hotel Sir?" The driver asked as he shut his own door and started the engine of the car.

"Yes." Nathan replied as he ran one of his hands through his hair and then felt the ominous vibrating of his phone in his suit pocket. He sighed deeply as he reached inside and pulled out his phone, opening up the text message he had received from Haley.

'Just wanted to tell you that I miss you so much x'

He smiled down at her message as he read the words that were displayed on the screen. How the hell could he even be thinking about risking what he had with her? He'd never been so happy in all of his life and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Haley. She really was his everything, wasn't she? He quickly typed out a reply.

'I love you baby x'

He stared at the message he had written, his thumb hovering over the send button, while he wondered if he was being a hypocritical bastard for saying things like that to her when he was hiding so much from her, before he pressed down on the button, sending the message to Haley. It didn't matter if he had been avoiding the truth for months now; what he had just text her was the truth, he loved her and she had to know that, in fact, he was sure that she did know that. He then brought his phone up to his mouth; his leg bouncing up and down on the floor uncontrollably with the anticipation of having to tell her what was going on once he got back home in two days time. Enough time had passed and it was time for him to man up and tell her what was happening, they needed to make this decision together, which they couldn't do if he continued to keep Haley in the dark about this. His phone vibrated almost instantly against his lips and he opened up the text message he'd just received from Haley.

'I love you too x'

He closed his eyes, letting out a long, deep breath as he dropped his phone into his lap and ran both of his hands nervously through his hair. He just hoped that the love they held for each other was enough. Because he knew that he couldn't lose her over this, he would refuse; point blank refuse to let this tear them apart.

~*~

Haley had been on the phone to the magazine for half an hour already. She was absolutely exhausted, but the end of the tour was in sight. She only had two more weeks left of being on the road and then she'd be back at her and Nathan's home in New York. Every time she thought about being back at home she couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face. She wanted to be in their house, their bedroom, their bed… She jolted herself out of her current daydream and focussed on the interview she was currently in the middle of, which surely had to be over soon, they'd absolutely exhausted the tour, her music, what else was there for them to talk about?

"So, we've talked about the tour and your music Haley, but what about your love life?" The interviewer asked, hoping to get some inside gossip about the Haley Nathan romance. They were one of the hottest couples of the moment and she would be kicked out of the top floor window if she didn't get at least a comment about it out of Haley. "How are things with Nathan?" She prompted.

Haley couldn't contain her smile just at the thought of Nathan. They weren't hiding their relationship by any means so it was safe for her to talk about it, although she didn't really want to give too much away. Her and Nathan's relationship was something she wanted to keep as private as was possible, but she understood the magazine reader's curiosity. She breathed in and sighed happily to herself. "Things with Nathan are good." She responded as she stretched herself out on the couch inside her dressing room.

"I can't imagine how difficult the past couple of months have been though, what with you being on the road and Nathan playing for the Knicks…" The interviewer continued, hoping that Haley was going to give her something to work with here.

"In all honesty they haven't been the easiest couple of months but we've made it work." Haley answered. "Nathan has managed to come and see me a couple of times and we're on the phone to each other a hell of a lot."

"Well I'm very pleased to hear that things are going well for you and Nathan, Haley. Any chance of a wedding at some point in the near future?" The interviewer pressed.

Haley couldn't help the girlish giggle that came out of her mouth. Her and Nathan? Getting married? Was it something she had even thought about? Who the hell was she kidding, of course she had. She desperately wanted to be Mrs Haley Scott but she didn't want to put any pressure on their relationship, once she got home things would be absolutely perfect as they were. And if Nathan wanted to make her his wife at some point in the future, she sure as hell wouldn't be saying no. She loved him with all her heart and couldn't wait to see how their lives developed in New York, especially now they had their gorgeous house. Nathan had already hinted about wanting children… She quickly pulled herself out of her Nathan induced haze and focussed on the present instead of dreaming about the future. "I'm not sure if a wedding is on the cards just yet, but we do love each other very much." Haley responded a coy smile playing on her lips.

The interviewer couldn't help but smile. "Well that's all wrapped up, Haley; thank you so much for your time."

"You're welcome." Haley responded and then after saying her goodbyes, she hung up the phone and bit down on her lip as she tossed her phone around in her hands, unable to stop the thoughts of her walking down the aisle of a pretty little church with Nathan standing at the front, waiting for her to become his wife. She closed her eyes and threw her head back against one of the cushions of the couch, playing out the whole ceremony in her head, as well as the reception and of course, the wedding night... her first night as Mrs Haley Scott…

~*~

Nathan had just stepped out of the shower and was walking through into the bedroom of his suite when he heard his phone ring. He almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of the ring tone, before chastising himself. He was being absolutely ridiculous, but he still walked tentatively over to where he had left his phone on the bed. He glanced down at the screen and breathed a tremendous sigh of relief when he saw that it was Jake and not Haley calling him. He picked up the call and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey." He said.

"Nathan! How are things going over there?" Jake asked once he heard the call connect and Nathan had greeted him.

"Things are good Jake." Nathan returned as he plonked himself down on the bed.

"They're offering one hell of a deal aren't they?" Jake asked, pleased that he had been able to orchestrate part of this for Nathan. Once he had an inkling that the Lakers were interested in Nathan, it was full steam ahead as far as he was concerned. He'd represented Nathan ever since he had come out of college and knew that playing for the Lakers was at the top of his wish list as far as his basketball career was concerned.

"They sure are." Nathan returned quietly as his mind once again drifted to what this whole thing meant for him and Haley.

Jake frowned as he heard the tone of Nathan's voice. "What's up Nathan? I thought that this was what you wanted?" Jake asked, concerned that Nathan's heart wasn't really in this move after all.

"It is what I want Jake, you know that… it's just…" Nathan started and then threw his head back down to the pillows so that he was now lying down on the bed. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair as he worried once again about whether Haley would actually move out to LA with him? Or was he going to have to give up his dream so that they would be able to stay together in New York ?

"Just what Nathan?" Jake asked, wanting to get to the bottom of the problem to see whether he could help with a solution.

Nathan sighed heavily. "It's just I don't know what this means for me and Haley."

"Well won't she just move with you? I mean LA is as good a place as any for her to record as New York is, maybe even better? What has she said about all this?" Jake asked, wondering what the problem was here. Surely he'd already talked to her about this?

"I haven't told her about it." Nathan muttered as he shut his eyes briefly, regretting all the times he had cowered out of talking to her about this once again. It seemed to be all he was doing lately.

"What? Why the hell not?" Jake asked, completely surprised by Nathan's admission.

"Because I know she won't want to go." Nathan sighed. "She absolutely hates LA Jake."

Jake shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. "You have to talk to her Nate."

"I know I do." Nathan admitted and then sat back up and pushed himself off the bed, walking over to the window of his hotel room. "I'm going to tell her about it as soon as I get back home."

"Good, you need to." Jake said. "I've spoken to the management team, they really want you Nathan. I hear you're going out for dinner with them in a bit?"

"Yeah I am." Nathan returned as he looked out over the smoggy city.

"Just behave yourself and try to stay out of trouble, especially as you haven't told Haley about this yet. Okay?" Jake advised.

"Yep, anyway, I should get ready; the car will be here soon. I'll talk to you when I'm back in New York ." Nathan replied.

"Haley will be supportive of this Nathan; I don't doubt that for a second. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye." Jake said and then hung up the phone.

Nathan pulled the phone away from his ear and dawdled over to his suitcase pulling out a pair of jeans and a shirt, praying that Jake was right and that Haley would be supportive of this, he didn't know what he would do if she wasn't.

~*~

Four hours later, Nathan realised that he didn't have a clue about what was going on. He was seated on what felt like a leather seat and had a drink of some kind in his hands. He couldn't see properly, he was somewhere dark, he knew that much. He squinted as he tried to focus on something but then closed his eyes as he realised that focussing on anything required far too much effort given his current state. He leaned his head back against the top of the chair and tried to gather himself but the music was loud, the shouting was loud, everything was jumbling together and nothing was registering in his brain because it was all too muddled.

"Hey Scott."

Nathan felt someone nudge him harshly in the arm so he jolted his head up, opened his eyes and turned his head to the left which he thought was the same direction that the nudge had come from.

"You going to finish that drink or what dude, you've got some catching up to do."

Nathan looked down at his hand which was wrapped around a glass containing some red liquid and then lifted his hazy gaze to the guy who was talking to him. He knew that he'd had far too much to drink and he didn't really want to drink any more than he already had.

"If you're going to join this team you need to be able to hold more drink than that, what's the matter, can't keep up with the big boys?"

Nathan couldn't even remember this guy's name but he was taunting him and he wasn't going to stand for that shit. He could hold his drink as well, if not better than the next guy and there was no way he was going to allow himself to be left behind. He brought his hand which was still gripping the glass up to his mouth, wondering if it always felt this heavy to him and opened up his mouth as he gulped the liquid down his throat until it was all gone from the glass. He hissed as he felt the burn of the alcohol run down through his body and then leaned forward so that he could place the glass down on the table they were sitting around. He was sure that he was being gentle but somehow, the force with which he placed the glass down on the table caused it to smash, earning jeers and cheers from all that were sat around the table. "Shit." Nathan mumbled as he tried to focus on the smashed glass in front of him before realising that he couldn't even be assed to clean it up, so he just leaned back in his chair. "What the fuck is that shit anyway?" He asked, not sure if he was directing the question to anyone in particular.

"Absinthe."

It took Nathan a while for the word to register in his brain but when it did he groaned. So that's why he was absolutely fucked. He sighed as he tried desperately to sit up but even that now required far too much effort from him. He closed his eyes yet again, wanting nothing more than to just block the noise out completely so that he could fall asleep, that was the only way that this pounding and dizziness would go away, he was sure of it. Sleep was the answer; sleep was just what he needed to clear his head.

He wasn't too sure how long he had been sitting there with his eyes closed but a little while later he felt someone sit down next to him and he opened his eyes at the intrusion of his little bit of peace and quiet in the middle of the noisy bar. He turned his head and saw the fuzzy outline of a woman sitting far too close to him than he felt was acceptable. He scowled a little as he twisted his heavy head again and saw that the table he and the Lakers team members had been sitting at was now covered with women. He tried to make out what was going on, he was trying desperately hard to get his brain to register the images he was seeing, so he concentrated hard as he looked around. Right opposite where he was sitting he saw one of the men he was with kissing this blonde woman. To the right of him, another team member had a redhead in his lap and was whispering something in her ear. He continued to look around the table, and it seemed that every male had a female attached to them. Hadn't some of these guys told him that they were married and had kids? He was totally confused about what was going on.

He twisted his head back to the woman that was now touching his arm and he pulled it away from her in disgust. He didn't want to be here anymore, he just wanted to go back to the hotel and crawl into bed. But he didn't even have a clue as to which bar he was in, let alone where the exit to this damn place was. He knew he needed to leave though, and so he started to lean forward, bracing himself for the effort he knew would be required to lift himself up from where he was currently sitting. Just as he was about to lift himself he felt the woman grab onto his arm.

"You're not leaving are you?" She asked, before pulling him back down onto the seat.

Nathan flopped back down onto the seat, unable to do anything to get himself away from her now that she had her hand wrapped around his arm, given how drunk he was at the moment. "I need to go." Nathan mumbled.

The girl leaned into him. "Why do you need to go?" She asked once her mouth was at his ear, so that she could be sure he could hear her over the loud music of the bar.

"I just do, I need to go." Nathan continued to mutter to himself but found he didn't have the strength to move.

The girl completely ignored his incoherent mumbles and looked around, instantly recognising half of the Lakers team that were seated around the table, but Nathan Scott was a Knicks man, so what the hell was he doing out with these guys? "So what, are you like transferring to the Lakers or something?" The girl said into his ear.

Nathan breathed in deeply and turned his head towards her, but didn't answer question.

The girl giggled at him. "Come on, what other reason is there?"

Nathan shrugged and briefly nodded his head in confirmation, before stopping, because that seemed to hurt far too much.

"Well I'm glad; the Lakers could do with someone like you on the team." The girl replied. "You're dating Haley James, aren't you?"

Nathan couldn't help but smile at the mention of her name. This was definitely a subject he could talk about to anyone. "Yeah I am."

"I caught her show here about a month ago, I love her music." The girl said.

"She's so talented isn't she?" Nathan gushed.

"She really is. I love how passionate she seems about her music, it seems to come so naturally to her and she sings about real stuff, you know?"

Nathan smiled proudly and leaned in so that the girl could hear him better. "I'm the luckiest bastard on the planet. She's the most wonderful person I've ever met, she makes me so happy."

"Well I'm glad you've found your princess." The girl responded with a smile. She could tell that he was absolutely off his face and instantly felt sorry for him. "Do you want me to get you some water?"

Nathan nodded his head gratefully and watched with hazy vision as the girl walked over to the bar. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. A couple of minutes later, he felt someone tapping his arm and so he opened his eyes and saw that the girl had returned with a bottle of water. He gratefully took the bottle from her hands and gulped down as much of it as he could. "Thanks." He muttered once the bottle was empty.

"No problem." The girl responded with a smile.

Half an hour later, Nathan found that he was still mumbling about how amazing Haley was to this girl. He finished his current rant about his favourite song of hers and how amazing her voice was and then sunk back down in the chair, completely exhausted and still very drunk despite the bottles of water he had been gulping down.

The girl shook her head at him before nudging him in the arm, seeing his eyes pop open. "Do you want to leave?" She asked.

Nathan nodded his head. "I don't even know where we are!" He admitted as he sat up.

"Which hotel are you staying at?" The girl asked.

"The Beverly Wiltshire." Nathan replied as he gratefully took the hand she was holding up and used her to help lift himself up off the chair.

"That's not too far from here, the exit it over to the right hand side of the bar. Think you can manage it?" She asked.

Nathan followed where her hand was currently pointed and nodded his head. He then walked in what he thought was the direction she had pointed him in, only ten seconds later he felt someone grab onto his arm. He looked down and found that the girl he had been talking to was now standing next to him.

"I said to the right of the bar, not the left." The girl said with a laugh.

"Oh." Nathan said, confused as he had thought that he was going in the direction she had said to. He looked around, completely lost.

"Look, I was heading home anyway; want me to walk you outside? There should be some cars waiting outside." The girl offered as it was clear that Nathan Scott didn't have a clue as to where he was going.

Nathan nodded his head and then followed the girl towards the exit. Once he walked outside, there was a car waiting right by the curb.

"You take that one; I'll get the next one." The girl said. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too." Nathan responded meaningfully, he'd been expecting another girl that wanted to try it on with him, but she'd actually been kind of interesting to talk to… at least what he could remember of their conversation anyway. "And thank you…"

"Melissa."

"Melissa." Nathan returned and then walked over to the car before slipping inside and asking the driver to take him back to his hotel.

~*~

Haley had asked the driver to pull into the convenience store that was five minutes away from home. She ran inside and picked up some eggs, flour and milk before walking to the checkout, picking up the newspaper that had caught her eye before paying for her purchases. She then ran back out to the car and slipped back inside. "Right, I'm all set to go home now." She told the driver and then sunk back in her seat, unable to contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to see Nathan's face when she walked inside their home to surprise him.

She'd played in Philadelphia the night before and was supposed to be having an interview during the day, a kind of behind the scenes look at the tour for one of the popular magazines, but Peyton had called her to inform her that it had been cancelled yesterday and so given that she was only a couple of hours from home, she'd decided to make the trip home for the day, before heading back to Philadelphia later on that night, or in the morning, as she wasn't playing her second nights show until tomorrow.

The driver was just pulling into the driveway and Haley looked up at their home, which still took her breath away, it was such a beautiful house and she couldn't wait to start living there on a more permanent basis. She hated how impersonal hotel rooms were but knew that they were simply a cross she had to bear, and besides, she did love touring, she just hated the fact that it kept her away from home for so long, away from Nathan.

She jumped out of the car before the driver had even had the chance to turn off the engine and ran up to the front door, the bag containing ingredients for a very late breakfast, as well as the morning's paper in her hand. She pushed her key into the door and ran through it once it was open. "Nathan?" She called out as she slammed the door shut behind her, breathing in deeply as the realisation that she was home washed over her. There really was no better feeling.

She waited a few moments but didn't hear a reply as she placed her keys on the side table in the hallway. She walked into the kitchen and placed the carrier bag down on the counter top and then wandered through the house, checking every room, before realising that he wasn't there. She pulled out her mobile and tried to dial his number but his phone was obviously switched off as her call went straight through to voicemail. She frowned as she placed her mobile back down on the counter top and walked through the kitchen and opened up the door to the garage, finding that his car was still parked there. She had no idea where he was but figured that he had gone out for a run around the block or something, given that his car was still at home.

She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a large glass mixing bowl from the cupboard and started to pour the ingredients into the bowl so that she could begin to make a batter. She figured that Nathan would be coming home soon, and at least she'd have breakfast pretty much ready to go once he did come back home, she was absolutely starving hungry. She set the mixing bowl up on the counter and got a whisk out of the drawer before placing the paper on the counter top next to her so that she could read and mix the ingredients together at the same time.

She was skimming the articles and concentrating more on getting the texture of the batter right. She picked the glass bowl up off the counter top and cradled it in her arms as it was slipping around all over the place and stopped mixing for a second while she turned over the page, resuming her mixing as she flicked her eyes over the paper quickly before looking back down at the mixing bowl that was in her arms. She then frowned as she thought that she had just seen a picture of Nathan in the paper. She cast her eyes back up to the picture that was bang smack in the middle of the page and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The glass mixing bowl slipped through her arms and smashed onto the tiled floor of the kitchen, batter splattering all over the place, the glass smashing into pieces, the loud crash barely registering in Haley's brain. She picked the paper up and studied the photo closely. There, surrounded by the words of the article was Nathan pictured with a girl who was whispering in his ear, and then below that picture was another of him walking behind this girl out of wherever the hell he had been. She cast her eyes over the article again quickly, seeing yet another photo of the LA Lakers team right at the bottom. The shock of seeing Nathan pictured with another girl had barely registered with her just yet and she walked over to the table which was placed in the middle of their vast kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs, taking a deep breath before reading the article, all the while wondering what the hell was going on.

~*~

Nathan's car had just pulled up to the house and his driver was getting his overnight bag out of the boot. He stepped out of the plush car and thanked the driver before slipping his bag over his shoulder. He still hadn't turned his phone on from the flight and knew that Haley would have called him at least once, but he was building himself up for the moment where he finally told her what had been going on the past couple of month, but he was hopefully going to be able to evade that fact and convince her that he had only just found out about it himself. He walked up to the front door and breathed in heavily before placing his key inside the keyhole, twisting it, and then pushing open the door to his and Haley's home.

He walked inside and shut the door behind him, placing his keys on the side table. It was then that he noticed the other keychain sitting on the wood, and he instantly recognised them as being Haley's keys. Was she here? His heart rate sped up instantaneously upon realising that she must be. He threw his bag down to the floor and slipped his shoes off, calling out to her as he did so. "Hales?" He called out but didn't hear a response from her. He knew that she had to be home because why else would her keys be here?

He walked through the hallway and looked in the lounge and the dining room, not seeing her anywhere, before walking across to the kitchen. He walked through and instantly noticed the smashed glass which covered the floor, before frowning. He looked down at the floor, careful of where he was treading as he didn't want to get glass in his feet as he walked further into the kitchen, raising his eyes to see some goo all over the kitchen floor and on some of the cupboards. He was slightly shocked and wondered what the hell had happened, before he spotted Haley and all other thoughts completely evaporated from his mind.

He looked right and her and could instantly see that she was crying about something, and from the look of her face she had been crying for some time but he didn't have a chance to ponder about any of that as before he knew what was happening she had marched right up to him and smacked him around the face.

"You fucking, selfish, lying bastard."

**AN – Oh dear. So Haley found out in quite possibly the worst way, well to be honest, any way that wasn't from Nathan was going to be bad, wasn't it?**

**Let me know what you thought of that chapter by dropping me a review.**

**A sneak peek of the next chapter will be available as always to those of you that want it, just let me know in a review if you do and I'll get it out to you as soon as it's written.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter (especially ann and sam who don't have accounts and so I couldn't respond personally), and as I was with NSN, I'm really sorry about how long it took me to get this chapter out to all of you.**

**Many thanks go to Rebecca, Elle and Madison, who helped me greatly with this chapter.**

**And good luck to all those who have exams at the moment, or if you've just finished I hope you all are having a lovely relaxing break.**

**It's just started snowing here so no doubt everything will stop working in true British style...**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

The words Haley had just spoken hadn't registered with Nathan at all. His hand immediately rose to his cheek, covering the area where Haley had struck him just seconds ago. She hadn't hurt him really, the slap had stung a little, but his hand had moved there without him even realising it, as the only thought that entered his brain in that very moment was complete and utter confusion over everything. Why were there blobs of batter splattered all over the kitchen? Why had the glass mixing bowl been left in shattered pieces on the kitchen floor? His eyes darted around the kitchen as he once again took in the absolute carnage surrounding him, before his gaze rested back on Haley. He didn't know what he had been expecting, had he been hoping that by surveying the situation once more, he would be rewarded with answers? His brain was completely clouded with bewilderment and if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't even sure which questions his mind was trying to answer anyway.

He rested his gaze on her face, taking in the image of her before him. She had been crying, her cheeks were stained with the tracks of her tears and as he continued to look at her in puzzlement, as he continued to try to read her, as he tried desperately to figure out what the hell was wrong, fresh tears started to fall down her face. His heart instinctively constricted almost painfully and proceeded to beat at what felt like a million miles an hour; he absolutely hated seeing her this way, he hated seeing her cry. And the worst part of it all was the fact that her emotions were completely unreadable to him, it wasn't that they were hidden from him; it was just that there were so many showing on her face, changing with every millisecond that passed, that he hadn't got a hope in hell of catching one of them so he could analyse it properly before a new one made itself known. He didn't know what the hell to do, her breathing was sharp and ragged, it was like she was struggling to get air into her body, and all he wanted to do was to shield her from all of it, to protect her from whatever or whoever had made her this emotional.

He lowered his hand slowly from his cheek, resting it by his side and it was only then in that moment that he realised that his hand had started to shake. He didn't know what was causing it to vibrate uncontrollably, obviously it was because of the state that Haley was currently in, but he wasn't sure whether it was rage at whoever had made her become like this, or fear as to what had happened. He knew that he needed to do something; he couldn't bear to see her like this for a second longer than was absolutely necessary. He watched as another tear escaped from her eye and his gaze followed as it trailed down the soft skin of her cheek before his eyes returned to hers and his brain literally screamed at him to just do something.

Tentatively, he raised his hand again, which was still quivering with what he now realised were nerves, deciding that he would try to comfort her. He continued to look intently at her, and despite how much he was trying to engage her, she was completely distant and distracted from him for seconds at a time, before he would catch just a flash of what he could only describe as a glare come from her, and then almost instantaneously her eyes would then retract into that same disconnected daze. He was severely anxious about what would happen when his hand eventually reached her face. He wanted more than anything for his touch to immediately heal whatever had caused her to become like this. He wanted her to lean her soft cheek into his hand, to let him know that he was helping her feel better in the way that only he could. He wanted to wrap his arms around her slight frame and pull her into him, so that she could feel how much better everything was now that she was in his arms. He wanted to be useful to her; he wanted her to know that he was here and that he loved her.

His hand was now just inches away from her face and it was still trembling uncontrollably with anxiety, both at what was about to happen and of course, mostly at what had caused her to become like this. He clenched his free hand into a fist at his side and took a deep breath as his fingertips reached out and hovered just above her soft skin. Her gaze was still completely aloof, disengaging and far away which made Nathan's heart rate pick up once again. He forced his quivering hand forward and gently brushed the tips of his fingertips over her cheek and he was greeted with quite possibly the worst reaction from Haley, the one he had been absolutely dreading. It was the very response that made his stomach drop because it was the one that told him what he had hoped wouldn't be the case. She recoiled away from his hand like the slight touch from his fingers had burned her skin. Her eyes lit with a fire and rage he hadn't known was possible and focussed completely on him. It was that very reaction which made Nathan realise that she was in this state because of something he had done.

His eyes grew wide as the realisation of that very fact dawned on him and he furrowed his brows in concern at what he had evidently done to Haley. The tears were now falling more forcefully down her cheeks as she took a step backwards, creating even more distance and space between them both. Nathan absolutely despised the fact that she felt it necessary to retreat away from him but he didn't know how the hell he could make any of this better because he didn't really even know what had caused her to become like this in the first place. He had been keeping things from her, he knew that, but he didn't know what, if anything, she had found out. His entire body was trembling with fear and he brought one of his shaky arms up to run through his hair, letting out a deep, long, uneven breath as he did so. "Hales, I…" He started but was soon cut off from speaking any further by Haley.

"No, Nathan." Haley said quickly and angrily, wanting to cut in before he could continue with whatever he was about to say. Her voice was ridiculously unstable with all the whirling confusion that was pulling her deeper and deeper beneath the surface, making it incredibly difficult for her to even do something as simple as breathe right now. Hearing his voice, feeling his feather light touch on her skin, simply being in his presence, was all proving far too much for her to handle at the moment. She was balancing all of her emotions extremely carefully, and she was doing her very best to keep herself in check but she found that was precariously close to losing her cool completely at any given second.

She was trying hard to concentrate on her breathing, which, as she continued to focus on it, she realised was fast and furious and desperately needed to be calmed down. She lowered her gaze from Nathan's, unable to look at him any longer, and concentrated on the tiled pattern of the kitchen floor, eventually being able to bring her breathing rate down to something which vaguely resembled normal. She then bit down on her lip, the tears continuing to fall almost effortlessly down her face as she tried to understand and comprehend what she was feeling. She closed her eyes but quickly opened them again as all she could see when they were closed were the three photographs that went along with the article, the words of it still seeming foreign and alien to her. It was as if they had been speaking about a different man, because the Nathan that she knew, the Nathan that she loved more than anything else on this entire planet, would not lie to her. She clung onto that thought for dear life, because if that were untrue, then all of the faith and hope and love she held deep inside of her would become completely shattered, leaving absolute devastation in its wake.

Nathan had never felt more hopeless in his entire life. He didn't want to upset her anymore than she was already, he wanted nothing more than for her to be her happy, smiling, Haley self again. He had tried to comfort her, but she had pulled away from him and he had tried to talk to her, but she had cut him off. So he was now locked in a waiting game with her. He watched her extremely carefully but she was looking down at the kitchen floor, avoiding his gaze no doubt. She was biting frantically on her bottom lip and he could see that the tears were still rolling down her beautiful face. He didn't know how long they stood there, completely still and silent save for the sound of their breathing, but for him, it felt far too long and was doing nothing to calm down his racing thoughts.

After what felt like an eternity, Nathan's patience began to waver, the concern for her building with each silent minute that passed. Eventually, he let out a long sigh, not being able to stand this silence that was enveloping them any longer. "Haley… please." He begged. He didn't know what he was begging for, was he begging for her to talk to him? Was he begging for her to forgive him for keeping secrets from her? Was he begging for her to crawl out of this dark hole she seemed to have trapped herself in? He didn't know, he just knew that he needed something from her, something other than this deafening silence.

Haley shook her head slowly as she continued to gnaw at her bottom lip, the creases in her forehead growing with each repeated movement of her head as she tried to block out the noise of Nathan's voice, knowing that it would do nothing to help clear the haze that was currently residing in her mind. She didn't know what she wanted to know, she didn't know if she even wanted to know anything, but the curiosity, the fire that was burning right underneath her skin wouldn't let up. She was battling a storm of feelings and emotions, but right this very second, curiosity was the one that was winning. The tears had started to subside only slightly, but she had barely even noticed that they had been falling anyway. "Where have you been?" She asked in a quiet, distant voice that sounded foreign even to her own ears, as she moved her hand over to her right wrist and fiddled with the bracelet he had given her in Paris, drawing a small amount of comfort from the gesture because that bracelet was something tangible, something that showed her that he did love her, even if all those stories in the newspaper turned out to be true.

Nathan could feel his heart beginning to beat at an unbelievable rate as he heard Haley finally start to speak to him, only she had asked him a question that he really didn't want to answer, not when she was already looking so distant and so implausibly broken. He knew that he had a choice here, but if he was being totally honest with himself, he knew that really, deep down, he didn't really have a choice at all. He had been hiding this from her for far too long now and it was about time for him to be honest with her, to reveal what he had been hiding. The truth was his only option, despite how much he wanted to cover his tracks with more lies if it meant that she wouldn't stay this upset. He ran his shaky hand through his hair yet again as he quickly debated his options once more, realising that he was simply stalling for more time again and so he took a deep breath and let his arm flop down to the side of his body. "I've been in LA, Hales." He admitted in a timid voice, wondering what this revelation would mean to her, wondering if she would question it at all, wondering how she would react.

That seemingly small admission from Nathan made Haley feel as if her whole world had crashed around her. She could feel the painful ache of her heart, the rush of blood which filled her veins and the desperate attempt she made in complete vain to stop any more of those traitorous tears from falling down her cheeks. So the article was true then. He really had been in LA. She was absolutely livid and it seemed that those words he had just spoken were the very words which pushed her delicately balanced emotions right over the edge. She lifted her gaze from the kitchen floor and slowly connected her eyes with Nathan's, instantly recognising that he was nervous about something. Only Haley knew exactly what he was nervous about. "How could you?" She spat at him, her words laced with venom and anger as the blood inside of her rushed up to the surface, tainting her usually flawless skin with a bright red, dangerous hue.

Nathan was almost startled by the hatred that marred her words. He didn't quite understand what she was asking of him and if he was being honest with himself he was a little too scared to speak right now. He tried desperately to read her, he wanted to anticipate what her next move would be but for once he found that he was completely lost and didn't have a clue what she was thinking right this very second, nor what she planned to do next. He decided that he wouldn't say anything, it seemed to be the safest bet for him at the moment, and it also gave him a bit of time to try to come up with the words he needed to explain all of this to her, to convince her that moving to LA would be a good thing for the both of them. He watched as she wiped her tears away angrily with her hand before she clenched her hands into fists at her sides and continued to glare at him, completely unnerving him into speaking when he wasn't ready. "Hales, I don't understand what you mean." He said, the confusion still completely evident on his face, his mind still a complete jumbled mess.

Haley scoffed at him as the anger continued to bubble away inside of her. She felt absolutely sick to her stomach as the images that she had seen previously and the words she had read in that article flashed in front of her eyes, taunting her, making the fury ten times worse than it already was. Why hadn't he told her that he had been in LA? They had been talking on the phone and texting each other while he had been out there and he had said absolutely nothing to her about it and she didn't understand why. Surely this was not just an impulsive trip, surely he must have known about it for at least a week or so, so why had he never mentioned it? The fact that he had been hiding this from her did nothing to ease the confusion that was sending her mind into a whirling mess. "You kept it from me." She said with a hoarse voice that was so quiet it was almost a whisper, the thickness of her current emotional state clearly evident even though the noise she had just made had been practically silent.

Nathan closed his eyes for a moment as the realisation that she knew what he was talking about washed over him, the guilt at keeping this from her for so long wrapping itself so forcefully around him he could practically feel his body tightening up inside its grip. He just wanted this to all go away, he wanted to go back to when Jake had given him that damn letter and he wanted to make sure that he told her about this then and there, instead of being a coward and keeping it from her. He could feel his palms begin to sweat with the comprehension that things were quite possibly going to get a hell of a lot worse before he could even think about making them any better, and his heart almost broke in the knowledge of that fact, especially when Haley was already looking so forlorn and shattered. "Hales, I'm so sorry, I know I should have told you…"

Haley immediately snapped her wandering eyes back up to meet his pleading gaze and she instantly knew that there was more to this than she had originally thought. "How long have you been hiding this?" She asked, praying that he hadn't known for long, because if he had been keeping something this big from her for an inordinate amount of time, she didn't know what that kind of betrayal would do to her, and quite honestly she really didn't want to find out.

Nathan ran his tongue over his too dry lips, suddenly finding that his mouth was as dry as a desert. He cleared his throat and had to avert his eyes from Haley's because he didn't want to see what his next words would do to her. "Jake told me about it a couple of months ago." He admitted quietly.

Haley gasped audibly as she heard him confess that it had not in fact been weeks that he had been hiding this news from her as she had first thought, but months. She looked at him, her gaze questioning as she tried to understand yet again why he had done this, why he hadn't just told her what had been going on. He wasn't looking at her but she watched as his eyes slowly returned to hers, and as soon as his eyes connected back with her own, he started to speak to her again.

God, he really couldn't stand the way that she was looking at him and he knew that he desperately had to do some damage control. "I'm so sorry I kept it from you for so long, Hales, I just didn't know how to tell you."

Haley's mouth dropped open in bewilderment. "You didn't know how to tell me?" She screeched at him, unable to help the volume of her voice given how livid she was with him. "I cannot believe that you have been keeping this from me for months!"

"Haley, I know, I just…" Nathan said when he thought that she had finished speaking but he was soon interrupted by Haley, who evidently hadn't finished shouting at him yet.

"And you still haven't fucking explained what all this LA business really means to me, or what it means for us either!" She screamed as she folded her arms over her chest and glared at him as she waited for him to start explaining what the hell was going on, needing to make some sense of all this nonsense.

"A couple of months ago, Jake gave me a letter which said that the Lakers were interested in having me join the team. At first I was angry because everything we have is here in New York and I really didn't want to disrupt any of that and I know how much you don't like LA. But Jake told me to think about it for a while, and I know that should have been the point that I told you about it." Nathan said as he began to explain what had been going on these past couple of months. "You have to understand, Haley, that playing for the Lakers has been my dream ever since I first held a basketball in my hands, which is why I had to give this serious consideration."

"But Nathan, this isn't a decision that you should have made on your own, this was something that we should have decided together. Can't you see that this impacts me just as much as it impacts you?" Haley returned, completely baffled by the fact that he couldn't seem to see that. "Didn't you learn anything from that argument we had about this house for crying out loud?"

"Of course I know that…" Nathan started.

"So then why didn't you tell me about it when you first found out? Why the hell did you feel the need to keep it from me for so long, Nathan?" Haley continued, the anger and betrayal she felt running through her veins spurring her on. "What did you honestly think would happen, that I'd come back from the tour to find a note pinned to the fridge saying that you'd gone to LA? When the fuck were you planning on telling me about this?"

"I was going to call you as soon as I got in from the flight." Nathan answered honestly, because that really had been his intention.

Haley shook her head at Nathan incredulously. "You honestly expect me to believe that after you've been keeping this from me for months now?" She said, before she started to pace up and down the kitchen in an attempt to try to wrap her head around all that had just happened, spotting the paper she had left open on the kitchen table and glaring at the pictures that were on the page, stilling her movements to look down at it again. "Did you enjoy yourself last night?" She asked bitterly with her back turned to Nathan as she wiped away yet another traitorous tear that was slipping down her cheek.

Nathan grimaced at the tone of her voice, while he wondered what she meant by her question. How could she know what he had done last night when he hadn't even told her? And why was she asking him about it in such a disgusted tone? "Why are you asking me about last night?" He asked tentatively, wondering where she was going with this latest comment of hers.

Haley took a deep breath before grabbing the newspaper off the table, scrunching it up in her fists as she marched back to where Nathan stood and thrust the pages into his chest forcefully. "Because it's all over the fucking newspaper, that's why I'm asking you about it, Nathan." She yelled at him, her entire body shaking with the fury inside of her that was completely untameable.

Nathan staggered backwards and caught the newspaper in his arms before it floated down to the floor. He brought it up and turned it around, flattening out the now crumpled pages and was met with images of him and that girl he had met last night, looking pretty cosy together, as well as leaving the bar together, and then just below was a picture of the Lakers. He immediately lifted his gaze and shook his head at himself, instantly understanding why she was so angry, for in all honesty, she had every right to be. "Haley, I am so sorry you found out about it like this."

Haley continued to glare at him, unsure of how she actually found her voice because the bile was rising in her throat and she could hardly think straight at the moment. "You're sorry I found out about what? The fact that you're moving to LA, or the fact that you and some whore hooked up last night?" She spewed at him.

Nathan's mouth instantly dropped open as the confusion etched its way over his face. "You cannot tell me that you actually believe that I slept with someone else last night?" He returned, his voice rising in volume with each word that fell out of his mouth.

"What the hell am I supposed to believe, Nathan? You've been lying to me for months, why the fuck should this be any different?" Haley yelled at him as she flapped her arms around in the air, completely exhausted and exasperated with all that she had learned today. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

"This should be fucking different, Haley, because you're now accusing me of cheating on you." Nathan yelled back at her, unable to calm the tremors of anger that were rolling through his body.

Haley shook her head at him. "I don't understand how you expect me to believe any different when the evidence is right there in your hands."

Nathan glanced down at the pictures and instantly thrust his hand that was holding the newspaper out in front of him so that Haley could see the pictures again. "This isn't evidence of anything, Haley. All this proves is that I was talking to a girl in a bar. I'm a basketball player, Haley, that shit happens all the time and you damn well know it." He roared at her as he pointed harshly at the picture of him in the paper.

Haley looked down at the pictures again in complete disgust. "And what about the one of you walking out of the bar with the same girl behind you? What does that one say, Nathan? Because to me that picture says that you took her back to you God damned hotel room and slept with her." She yelled back.

Nathan scoffed at her incredulously. "Are you being serious, Haley? What the fuck?" He said as he shook his head at the bizarre situation he now found himself in, why was she saying these things? It just didn't make any sense whatsoever. He turned the paper around so that he could see the picture that she was talking about and then turned it around so that Haley could look at it again, just so he made sure that they were both looking at the same thing. "All that picture shows is that I left a bar, Haley." He said through gritted teeth, still completely baffled at how she could accuse him of cheating on her, before slamming the article down on the counter top beside him, sick of looking at it, and even more sick of the conversation surrounding it.

Haley tightened the grip she had on her arms which were crossed over her chest, trying to protect herself from all of this. The more she thought about Nathan lying and cheating on her, the more she felt her heart shatter painfully into a million and one pieces. She was crying again now, biting down on her lip harshly as she willed herself to stop, but it was no use. How could she be sure that nothing happened with that girl? How could she trust anything he said when he'd been keeping secrets from her for so damn long?

"Haley, I'll admit, I did keep things from you, and I'm incredibly sorry for that, I am. But I am not a God damned cheater. I would never, ever do anything like that to you. And if you doubt that fact, if you don't feel that you can trust me, then I…" Nathan started but ran out of words as he watched her cry again before he averted his gaze down to the floor. He felt almost betrayed by Haley given the accusations she was throwing at him and he didn't quite know how he felt about that yet, despite knowing obviously that he had let her down and lied to her all at the same time.

Haley didn't even know what her options were at the moment, and she was far too confused to think about any of them, she was hurting too much to even begin to fathom what all this meant for them both. Did he expect her to move out to LA with him? Had he even confirmed the fact that he was going to LA? Did she even want to go to LA? But the most prevalent thought, the one that she couldn't shake was the one about the cheating. She honestly didn't know what to think, because the reality of this whole situation was that he had lied to her, he had deceived her and kept her in the dark about something which affected their relationship and their lives so much, and that was what she couldn't get over. And all of that begged the question; how the hell could she trust him?

Nathan felt like he had this humungous weight on his shoulders, making his entire body feel incredibly heavy with dread. He could see how detached Haley seemed and that was something he desperately wanted to fix, he was incredibly tired of the rollercoaster of emotions he was riding, wanting things to go back to how they were before she'd seen the newspaper article. He took a tentative step forward, closing some of the distance that was between them, searching for the words that would make this all go away. "Haley, please say you'll come to LA, I promise you'll love it out there. You can work on the new album from the recording studios out there; we can buy another house even bigger than this one with a view of the ocean. I know that if you just give it a chance you could be happy there, baby."

Haley furrowed her brow as she listened to Nathan's words, moving to LA had never been something that she wanted to do, she absolutely hated the place. "You want me to move out there with you?" She asked.

"Of course I do." Nathan returned, buoyed by the change in conversation. This one actually felt like it was going somewhere positive, rather than her previous accusations of cheating, which were completely false. It seemed that she actually believed him given that she wasn't carrying on with that topic of conversation, and rightly so, he had done nothing with that girl.

Haley's mind felt like it was going to explode at any given second. "Nathan, my whole life, everything I have, my friends, my contacts… everything, is here." She returned.

"But we can make a new life with each other out in LA, Haley." Nathan responded desperately.

Haley couldn't help but feel like Nathan had simply swaggered in here expecting her to consent to whatever the hell he wanted. It felt like he had everything figured out without giving a thought to the fact that she might actually say no to all of this. She wouldn't be surprised if he produced yet another contract for a house in LA at any given second, that was his style, wasn't it? "And what if I say no, Nathan, what if I don't want to go."

Nathan was stumped. He had no idea what would happen if she didn't want to move out there with him. He stood there in complete silence as he weighed his options.

"I mean, it's all well and good you getting your dream, Nathan, playing for the Lakers and all, but what about me? Do I have to condemn myself to what I consider to be a living hell just so you can get all that you want?" Haley continued as she watched Nathan consider his choices and listen to her words. She knew that she was being slightly selfish but the anger she felt towards him, the betrayal she felt was tainting her thoughts and marring her words.

"Oh come on, Haley, I think you're being a little too dramatic there!" Nathan scoffed. "It's LA for crying out loud, not some deserted house in the middle of Antarctica."

"You know how much I hate LA." Haley returned defiantly.

"And you now know how much I want to do this." Nathan replied stubbornly.

Haley bit down on her lip again as she considered what he had just said to her. Was he basically saying that he was going to move out there regardless of her thoughts on the subject? She waited for a couple of minutes for him to say something but when she looked over at him she found that he was looking down at the kitchen floor and after three more minutes of utter silence, she realised that he was waiting for her to say something to him. "What about my dreams?" She asked.

Nathan lifted his gaze from the kitchen floor and looked into her eyes. He loved her beyond reason but he couldn't help but think that she was being far too dismissive of what he wanted to achieve in his life, why wasn't she willing to compromise? It was making him irate and incredibly nervous about their future, which in turn made him incredibly defensive. "I'm sorry, Haley, but you're dreams comprise of a recording studio, which you can find pretty much anywhere. The Lakers are in LA and that's it."

"Do you honestly think that's all that my dreams comprise of?" She asked incredulously. "And is playing for the Lakers all you're living for? What about all those things you said about wanting a family, what about your dreams of being with me?"

"We can do all those things anywhere, Haley, if you'd only stop being so stubborn about your dislike for LA, we could have all those things, and both of us could achieve our career aspirations as well, can't you see that?" Nathan responded desperately, pleading with her to agree to this.

Haley shook her head. "That's not where I want to be."

"Haley, please." Nathan pleaded with her.

"Nathan, I've told you I don't want to go." Haley returned. "I don't like LA, I never have, so moving there isn't going to make me happy, Nathan, it's going to do the opposite. Is that really what you want?"

"Haley, I would never want you to be unhappy but I really think you're being too flippant about all of this, I don't think you're considering it properly at all." Nathan responded. "I really do think we could be happy in LA, just like we are here in New York."

Haley glared at him, too stubborn and too angry with him to budge on this one. She bit down on her lip again and furrowed her brow, still unable to shake the images of that article from her mind, still wondering if he had actually done something with that girl. After all, they say that the camera never lies, and in the first picture it looked like that girl was practically sitting in his lap. "So you expect me to come out to LA with you, just so you can go on more nights out with the team which end up making me look like a complete fool when the pictures come out the next day?" She returned, still not wanting to lay that article to rest. He had to know that the pictures had hurt her so deeply, especially seeing as she hadn't had a clue that he was out in LA in the first place.

"God, Haley, why are you just going around in circles? Haven't we discussed that article enough already?" Nathan responded as he shook his head at her incredulously. He didn't understand why she was doing this, why she was intent on making things worse for them instead of coming to a solution.

"I'm going around in circles, Nathan, because I'm fucking confused as hell. I don't know what the hell to believe." Haley yelled back at him as she walked over to where he had placed the article down on the countertop and snatched it into her grasp, taking another look at the pictures, even though they seemed to be burned into her mind anyway. She then retreated away from Nathan, keeping the distance she had created between them as she reread the article for what had to be the hundredth time.

Nathan didn't want her to be looking at that damn article for a second longer, so he walked over to her and took it from her angrily, before he scrunched it up and chucked it at the fridge in frustration. "Haley, what that article is saying is complete and utter bullshit." He seethed at her, wondering why she was doubting him, why didn't she believe him?

"It's not complete bullshit, Nathan, is it, because they're right about you and the Lakers aren't they?" Haley responded, still unable to forget what had been written there. "So who's to say whether the rest of it is bullshit or not?"

"I'm saying the rest is complete fucking bullshit, Haley, and I cannot believe that you can even fathom the thought that it is anything but that." Nathan snapped back at her, wondering how long they were going to have to fight about this before she actually believed him.

"Were you drunk?" Haley asked, knowing fore well that he was because she'd seen the evidence of that fact in the pictures.

"Yes I'd been drinking." Nathan responded, not wanting to admit to the true state of his drunkenness that night, because he was sure that it wouldn't work in his favour at all if Haley knew.

"And do you remember everything that happened last night?" Haley questioned.

Nathan thought back to that night, to the sudden appearance of the woman next to him, the blank spots in between him laughing with the team, to talking to her, to leaving the bar with Melissa and her helping him in the cab. So, no, he didn't remember all of it…

"You fucking don't do you?" Haley screeched at him as she continued to cast her eyes over his face, the devastation of him not remembering parts of the night making this whole mess seem a million times worse than it already was. "So how can you stand there, Nathan, and look me right in the eye and say that you didn't do anything. How the fuck can you be one hundred percent sure of that fact?"

"Haley, I know I wouldn't do anything, that's how I know nothing happened." Nathan responded, his voice still speaking at a higher volume than was normal.

Haley shook her head at him as fresh tears started to fall down her face. "I'm such a fucking idiot." She muttered to herself as she looked down at the floor again, before raising her heated gaze back to meet Nathan's. "Do you know that while you were fucking around with some skank in LA, I was jabbering on to this interviewer about how much I loved you, thinking about marriage and a future together? And now those fucking pictures have surfaced, which make me look like an absolute shitting idiot."

"I wasn't fucking around with anybody, Haley." Nathan responded to her through gritted teeth. "When are you going to just accept the fact that nothing fucking happened."

"Do you know what, Nathan?" Haley responded in a completely defeated voice as she swiped away at her tears, only to make way for new ones to fall in their place. "It doesn't even matter if nothing did happen. It's what those pictures imply. It's the fact that you allowed some fucking whore to be all over you in public when you very well know that anyone could take a picture of you. It's the fact that in that moment you didn't even have a thought about what all this would look like to me."

"Haley, what the fuck are you saying? I spent the whole evening talking to her about you for fucks sake! And can we please get back to talking about LA." Nathan shouted back incredulously.

"No." Haley responded. "I'm not done talking about this Nathan and I'm not going to LA."

"What do you mean you're not fucking coming to LA?" Nathan roared at her, completely flabbergasted by how selfish and how unreasonable she was being, having heard enough and deciding that the best course of action was for him to lay down an ultimatum, because otherwise they weren't going to get anywhere, they were just going to continue going round in circles and end up driving each other completely insane. "Do you know what, Haley, if you want to dwell over those fucking pictures, that's your prerogative, if you want to use that bullshit as an excuse not to come to LA with me, then fine. Do it. Because I'm going to go." He said as he shook his head in complete confusion, wondering who the hell he had been talking to for the past half an hour or so, because it certainly wasn't the woman he loved, that was for sure. He turned around and began to walk out of the kitchen, before he turned around. "Are you coming with me, Hales?" He asked, absolutely certain that he had now given her no option but to come with him.

Haley watched in complete bewilderment as he stared harshly at her. What the fuck was this? Was he really going to just walk out of here? She couldn't muster any words because she never thought that he would simply just leave, especially in the aftermath of all that had happened recently. He had lied to her and he was now just going to up and leave? She was shell-shocked and rendered utterly speechless, who was this man? She didn't believe that he would just leave; she couldn't bring herself to consider that as an option. So she remained completely defiant, glaring back at him in complete silence, as if she was daring him to leave, because she honestly didn't think he'd go.

Nathan glowered at her, waiting for her to say something to him, but she remained completely silent. He felt completely crushed in that moment, how much could this whole damn relationship mean to her, how much did he mean to her, if she wasn't about to make a slight compromise which would enable them to stay together? How could they build a future together if they were both so unwilling to cooperate with each other, if they were both so stubborn? He was so livid with her, so shocked by how flippant she had been, about the fact that she hadn't even stopped to even think about his proposition. And with that final thought, he turned around and walked out of that door. If she wanted to be a selfish bitch, then he would be a selfish bastard. It really was as simple as that to him.

Still completely stunned that Nathan was walking out on her, Haley could do nothing but watch as he stormed out of the kitchen and headed towards the front door. She felt completely numb and she was in complete shock; she was barely able to breathe given that her brain couldn't even formulate how to function at the moment. She felt like she was in a complete daze, like she was in the middle of some kind of nightmare because there was no way that all this could be reality, she couldn't be breaking up with Nathan, not when she loved him so much.

The loud noise of the front door slamming shut reverberated through the house to where she was standing and woke her from her shocked state. As she looked around the kitchen of the house they shared tears once again formed in her eyes and she knew that she couldn't just stand here and give up on what she wanted, give up on the person she wanted to be in her life, the person she so desperately wanted to be with. She'd been completely out of control with rage when he had walked into the house; the surprise of seeing that article had completely clouded her reactions, the fury had plagued her every thought with problems and anger instead of concentrating on a solution or a compromise to their current issue.

In a moment of complete desperation and panic, she raced towards the front door that Nathan had just walked out of and prayed that she would get to him before he left her completely. Her heart was pounding in her chest; the blood was rushing through her veins with incredible force as she frantically hoped that she would be able to fix this; she was hoping that they could find a workable solution before it was too late because, although incredibly confused, she knew with absolute certainty that she couldn't live without Nathan. That was a complete impossibility.

**AN – So a bit of a rollercoaster of a chapter... **

**A preview for the next chapter will be available as soon as I write it to those of you who want it. Just let me know in a review if you do.**

**And as always – let me know what you think by dropping me a review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN – Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews for the last chapter. I'm so sorry about how long this story has taken me to update, but life has been a little bit busy for me lately.**

**As always, a few words to those of you without accounts who left a review. Haylie – I know, he just walked right out of there! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Ann – I know they really need to have a sit down and discuss things properly, don't they? I hope you enjoy this update.**

**Okay, so as always, major thanks to Rebecca who read through this for me before I posted.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Nathan grabbed the keys to his sports car from the side table as he stormed his way out of the kitchen and along the hallway towards the front door. He was absolutely fuming and incredibly hurt that Haley was being so unreasonable. He knew that this was a big ask, and he also knew he'd been wrong to hide it from her, but did she really have to be so damn dismissive of it all? Why couldn't she calm the hell down and talk to him about it so that they could try to find a sensible compromise, or work the kinks out of this situation together?

Haley's anger towards him and her flippant attitude had completely riled him up the wrong way. How could they stay together if she wasn't willing to even talk to him about all of this, if all she was going to say was that she simply wasn't going to move to LA? It wasn't like it was guaranteed that he'd play for the Knicks for the rest of his life. In all honesty it was highly likely that if not now, then at some point in the future they'd have to move away from New York, so what would happen then? Especially if they had children and were married, which ideally was where he saw them both a couple of years down the road, well before all this mess happened anyway, would he be expected to move on his own?

Either way though, none of that really mattered now did it? As he continued to march towards the front door, he still hadn't heard a peep out of Haley from where he'd left her in the kitchen, which obviously meant that this was over. He'd asked her on more than one occasion to come with him, but she was having none of it. And he couldn't even bring himself to think about the fact that she had accused him of cheating on her, because if he did then he was sure that he would absolutely explode, his hands were already clenched into fists and he was sure that if anyone crossed his path he'd lash out on them as a way of relieving himself of some of his fury.

He opened the front door and slammed it shut with as much force as he could, surprising himself that he didn't pull it off its hinges. However, it was when he stepped outside of the house, and as he walked towards the garage that reality hit and his anger simmered down to a soft bubbling instead of being this force of hot fire running through his veins, and his speeding footsteps slowed down noticeably. What the hell was he doing?

Was he really willing to walk out on her like this? Did he really want this to be the end; did he really not want to work through this? Was he really ready to just give up on the best thing that he'd ever had? He was so confused as these thoughts raced through his mind, making him feel incredibly dizzy and then all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks and took a deep breath as the weight of his actions suddenly forced themselves onto his shoulders, making them feel heavy with responsibility.

After all, he'd lied to her. He'd kept something so very important from her and she was right, this decision affected her just as much as it did him. He lolled his head back and stared up at the sky, hoping that he'd find an answer to all of this, hoping that somehow he'd know exactly what he should do and what he should say to make this right but it was no use and his brain was still as convoluted as it had been moments ago.

He turned himself around and stared back at the house he'd bought for them both and remembered how much of a fight she'd put up about the whole thing, but they'd managed to work through it, and they were happy, weren't they? They were in love with each other and that should be all that mattered.

It was like he'd just had one of those light bulb moments and he suddenly realised that he couldn't do it, he couldn't just leave her. He raced back to the front door and hoped that he'd be able to get her to listen to him, he hoped that they'd be able to talk sensibly about all of this and he hoped more than anything that he still had a chance with her, because she was his everything, she was each and every one of his dreams and his hopes and nothing else mattered but being with her. That was all he wanted.

Haley reached the front door and opened it incredibly hastily. She didn't think she'd heard Nathan's car speed away from the house so she hoped that she wasn't too late in actually getting her brain into gear and moving herself from her rooted spot in the kitchen. As soon as she opened the door, she frantically moved her eyes towards the garage, but her vision was blocked by Nathan, who was running back towards her.

Feeling incredibly confused about the fact that he was running towards the house and not away from it, she furrowed her brow and quickly walked out onto the driveway.

Nathan saw Haley walk out onto the driveway and breathed a deep sigh of relief that she'd come out looking for him. He obviously didn't know whether she'd come out to scream and shout at him, or to say she had changed her mind and wanted to go with him to LA, or whether she simply, like him, wanted to talk this through properly, but her reasons didn't matter. If she wanted to scream some more at him, he'd let her, if she wanted to come with him, he'd be ecstatic and if she simply just wanted to talk to him he'd be thrilled. Because the fact that she'd moved herself out from that kitchen showed that she at least cared about all of this, it showed that she at least cared about him.

Haley came to a halt just before she reached Nathan and noticed that he did the same, so that they were close enough to each other to talk should they want to but not close enough so they were invading each other's personal space. She immediately began to chew on her lower lip while her hands came to rest in front of her body and she began to play with her fingers. She was looking down at the ground as she didn't know what to say to him, or what he was thinking and after a while she chanced a sneaky glance up at him, hoping that he wouldn't catch her sneaking a peek. However, she needn't have bothered worrying about that because he wasn't looking at her either, instead choosing to stare what had to a fascinating paving slab, given the extreme look he was giving it. She studied his face quickly and could tell from the look on his features that he was incredibly anxious about all of this, just as much as she was, it seemed. She sighed to herself, because they weren't getting anywhere by being like this, they needed to discuss so much and standing here in silence wasn't going to move them forward at all. However, she couldn't think of anything to say, so instead she simply said the first thing that came into her mind and averted her gaze away from him as she did so. "I kind of figured you'd be speeding out of the driveway by the time I reached the front door."

As soon as Nathan heard Haley speak, he moved his eyes back to look at her, only she was still looking down at the floor and he despised the fact that she felt she couldn't look at him. He hated the situation he'd created, he hated the fact that he simply didn't know what to say to her. What he wanted was for them to go back inside, sit down and talk things through calmly and reasonably, but he didn't know if Haley would even be willing to let him back inside the house given the way he had behaved just minutes ago. He took a deep breath to help calm the anxiety which seemed to be completely overpowering his whole body and licked his lips nervously. "Hales, I'm sorry about all of this. I'm sorry for not telling you about LA sooner and I'm sorry for acting the way that I did in there. I don't know what came over me and I don't know what possessed me to just walk out of there… I just… you have to know that I would never do that, you have to know that I'd never just give up on us… I was just so angry and was being incredibly selfish… but that's no excuse for my behaviour and I'll completely understand if you want me to leave, you'd have every right to want that."

As Haley listened to his nervous speech, she slowly brought her eyes back to look at him. She ran her eyes over his face, not meeting his gaze and noted that he looked completely anguished and she knew that she looked exactly the same way. What they needed was to have a thorough talk, sooner rather than later. "Nathan, I don't want you to leave, why do you think I came running after you?" She said softly, and finally she met his gaze.

"I don't know, to throw eggs at my speeding car?" Nathan responded with a heavy sigh.

Haley couldn't help the fact that she smiled at him, pleased to be able to talk about something light instead of the heaviness of the conversation she knew they needed to have. "You really think I'd spoil your baby? I couldn't do that to the most important thing in your life."

"You're the most important thing in my life, Hales. I don't give a shit about my car." Nathan responded in an incredibly serious tone, boring into her with his eyes, wanting her to get that point, even if she didn't believe any other words which came out of his mouth. He didn't care if she disagreed with everything else he said, she could call him out on any other words which came out of his mouth as long as she knew that she was his everything.

Haley looked away quickly, not being able to stand the intensity of his gaze. She could feel her cheeks beginning to flush and she wrapped her arms around herself, unsure of why she felt so vulnerable in this precise moment. He was telling her what she wanted to hear, yet she still couldn't help the panic which was flowing through her entire system. Did it matter if she was his everything, if he was still going to go to LA and she was going to stay here? How would they be able to work through the distance, should that be what they decide to do? Equally, how would she feel if she had to live in LA? She felt the tears begin to prickle in her eyes and she willed them not to fall. She'd done far too much crying today, she really didn't want to waste any more time shedding tears, not when she could be talking things through calmly with Nathan.

Nathan could see that tears were beginning to form in his eyes and the anxiety he felt grew exponentially. Why was she crying when he'd said something so very true and honest? Didn't she want to be the most important thing in his life anymore? He could feel the dread coursing through his body and he swallowed thickly, trying to calm his fears even though he knew it would be impossible. He felt completely helpless, he wanted to take her in his arms; he desperately needed to feel her close to him, because everything always felt right when he held her, but given the way her arms were wrapped tightly around her body, it was clear to him that she didn't want to be touched, least of all by him. "Hales, please talk to me." He pleaded with her, the desperation and anguish clear in his voice.

Haley moved her eyes back up to meet Nathan's and as soon as she did, as soon as she looked deeply into those blue eyes of his, she was confronted with the realisation that firstly, she loved him more than she thought possible, and secondly that she couldn't live without him. It was then that the tears fell from her eyes. "How is this going to work?" She wondered out loud, wishing that Nathan would magically conjure up an answer, a solution to all of this, but equally knowing that it was impossible and clearly wasn't going to happen.

Nathan anxiously ran one of his hands through his hair. "I don't know, Haley. But we're going to have to find a way to make this work because I can't live without you in my life, okay?" He responded in what he hoped was a determined voice.

Haley wiped her tears from her cheeks and nodded her head, pleased that he sounded committed to this. "I don't want to live without you in my life either." She returned in a small voice.

Nathan exhaled incredibly deeply, the relief he felt at hearing those words doing wonders for his rapidly beating heart. "Do you want to try to talk through this and see what we can come up with?" He asked apprehensively, hoping that she would want to.

Haley sniffed and nodded her head, knowing that they couldn't put this conversation off much longer, because despite how much she wanted to, it would only eat away at her if she did so. She tentatively held out her hand in front of her, needing to feel his skin against hers and she watched as Nathan's eyes softened incredibly and as soon as she felt his hand connect with hers, she felt a thousand times better. She resolved with herself that she wouldn't give up, she simply couldn't. They were just going to have to find a way to come to a compromise, where both of them were happy. She just wasn't sure how they were going to get there.

~*~

"So is your flight on time?" Nathan asked as he walked out of the hotel he was staying in and stepped into his rented convertible which the car valet had brought around for him.

Haley glanced up at the information screen and searched for her flight to LA. "Erm, so far, yes, so I should be landing at about four your time."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you at the airport." Nathan returned as he turned the key in the ignition and sped away from the hotel, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He'd missed her terribly these past two and a bit weeks.

"Sounds good. You sound like you're driving, where are you off to?" Haley asked as she sat herself down in one of the lounge chairs.

"I'm just heading out to training." Nathan responded with a smile on his face, not only because he was going to training which he thoroughly enjoyed, but also because he would be seeing Haley in a few hours. They had yet to have the serious, final decision-making discussion about what they were going to do about their situation and he didn't want to be pressurising her into making a hasty decision but equally he already missed her far too much. And when it wasn't exactly necessary for her to be away from him, like right now for example, given that her tour had now finished, he just knew that he'd end up missing her even more than he had done while she was touring, because it seemed very unnecessary for her to be apart from him. "The weather's beautiful here, Hales, and I was thinking that we could possibly go out for a nice dinner tomorrow night once you've had a good night's sleep and chat things through, and if you want, we could possibly set up a meeting with a Realtor?"

Haley couldn't help the heavy sigh which escaped from her mouth. "Nathan…" She said in a warning tone, really not wanting to have this discussion over the phone, especially when she was sat in an airport lounge. She lolled her head back and sunk down on the chair, wishing that she could find an answer to all of this mess and finding herself feeling absolutely exasperated and exhausted. Their discussions two and a half ago back at the house hadn't really got them anywhere, they'd simply agreed that Nathan was going to go to LA, she would finish her tour and then they'd talk about it and try to come up with a decision about what they were going to do. However, that deadline had now crept up on them rather quickly and Haley still wasn't sure of what was going to happen, and it was making her feel incredibly nervous.

"I know, baby, that was out of line, I'm sorry." Nathan responded quickly. He rested his elbow on the window ledge of the car and placed his hand on the side of his head as he came to a stop at some traffic lights. "I just miss you so much."

"I miss you too." Haley returned in a quiet voice. She chewed on her lip, knowing deep down that she couldn't live with her being on one side of the country and him being on the other. It just wouldn't work. She wanted to be with him, not apart from him. And she also wanted him to play for the Lakers, it was something that he'd always wanted to do and she knew that she couldn't live with herself if he came back to New York just for her. She was pleased that he was taking this opportunity because stuff like this didn't happen often. But then the only solution to him taking up this fantastic opportunity and them not being apart was for her to move out to LA, and she still didn't know how she felt about that.

"But we'll see each other in a couple of hours." Nathan said, not wanting them to both dwell on the fact that they were apart, because it wouldn't be for much longer. Although he still wasn't sure what would happen after Haley's trip to LA, he didn't particularly want to think about that right now, the most important thing for him to think about was the fact that he'd be seeing her very soon because at the moment that was all that mattered to him. He simply wanted to hold her in his arms, to look into her beautiful eyes and tell her that he loved her to her face, rather than do it down the phone.

Haley noted the fact that he was trying to lighten the topic of conversation once again and she was glad of that, because at the moment, her brain hurt from thinking about their situation constantly. "I know, I can't wait to see you, are you excited about the first game?" She asked.

Nathan couldn't help the wide smile which spread all over his face. "Oh I'm so excited, honestly Hales, I can't wait for you to see the stadium and everything, it's going to be amazing. You should see…"

Haley closed her eyes as she vaguely listened to Nathan ramble on about how happy he was to be playing for the Lakers and how excited he was for her to see his new stomping ground. It was as she listened to him that she realised that she should, for the sake of their relationship and keeping the both of them happy, at least try LA, no matter how much she was convinced that she wouldn't like it. She would be more miserable without him, wouldn't she? She could still spend time in New York when she was recording because they wouldn't be selling the house they had here, if she couldn't find her inspiration in LA, and although that would mean spending some time away from him, he'd be on the road too, so maybe they could try to coordinate their schedules to mean that they were both away at the same time and that way they could spend time together when they were in LA. It wasn't like she'd be completely stranded in LA on her own while he was gallivanting around the country, because she could always come home to New York if she wanted to.

She knew that she had jumped to conclusions when she had read that article, especially where that girl was concerned. She didn't know what had come over her because she knew that he wouldn't cheat on her. She knew that he loved her and she had reacted so stupidly to it. She'd simply been overwhelmed at all that she was finding out and had vented all of her anger out on Nathan. She knew how the media worked; they were always looking for the latest scandal which would sell them more copies of their publication, completely disregarding those that were caught in the middle. And although Nathan should have told her about LA as soon as he had found out about it, she didn't want to rehash old ground; she wanted to simply forget about it all. What would be the point in her remaining angry about it? Where would that get her? Absolutely nowhere was the answer to that question.

They said their goodbyes when Nathan reached the training grounds and Haley waited patiently in the airport lounge for her flight to be called. As she boarded the plane, she could feel her stomach begin to swirl and she felt incredibly queasy. And as she settled into her first class seat, she couldn't help but groan when she saw the man sitting next to her, who clearly should have stayed in bed this morning instead of getting on this flight and spreading his germs around the whole cabin.

~*~

Nathan lifted himself up off the bed and rested his hand on his head, the pillow helping him to prop himself up. He glanced down at Haley, who had been twisting and turning in bed all night, making it incredibly difficult for him to even get a few minutes of sleep and with his free hand he brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it securely behind her ear. She moaned and tried to swat his hand away and he couldn't help but sigh at her. When he first caught sight of her as she walked through the arrivals gate, he knew instantly that something was wrong. She looked incredibly tired, almost as if she was going to fall in a heap on the floor right that very second and she'd complained the whole car ride back to the hotel about feeling sick.

Any plans for them to spend the night at a nice restaurant were immediately abandoned because she spent the entire evening cuddling the toilet seat. He'd tried to comfort her but she just moaned at him and told him to leave her alone, mumbling almost incoherently about the 'asshole on the plane', who, he'd later learnt had been sitting next to her and was sick himself, evidently having passed his illness onto his lovely girlfriend.

He pressed his hand against her forehead and noted that she felt a little bit warm, and his brow furrowed because he didn't know what was wrong with her. She moaned in her sleep again as she turned herself around and then fell silent again once she had stopped shuffling around. He sighed and moved closer towards her, pressing his chest up against her back and he wrapped his arm around her stomach, holding her close to him as he tried to get at least little bit of sleep before it was time for him to get up.

Four hours later, Nathan stirred and with his eyes still closed, he stretched out his hand, hoping to find the warmth of Haley lying next to him. However, his eyes shot open as he realised that he was alone in the bed. He immediately sat up and glanced around the room, his eyes eventually falling on her back where she was sitting on the floor of the bathroom. He stretched and waddled over to join her, pressing a kiss on the top of her head as he perched himself on the corner of the bath tub behind her. "How long have you been out here?" He asked once he had yawned, the concern for her etching its way into each word that fell out of his mouth.

"I don't know." Haley responded groggily, trying not to move herself at all for fear that she'd begin retching again. "But what I do know is that if I ever see that asshole from the plane again, he's a dead man." Her current state, and the fact that this had happened while she was on her way to LA where her boyfriend now lived, did not bode well for her positive thoughts about being able to move out here. It almost felt like an omen, a warning to her. Did she really want to do this? Did she really want to move out here? Once again, she found that she was teetering on the side of not wanting to move out here at all…

Nathan smiled softly at her as he lowered himself down on the bathroom floor and slid up behind her, running his hand over her back lightly. He hoped that he was providing her some comfort, because he hated seeing her ill. He felt completely hopeless at times like this, and he despised feeling this way with it came to Haley because he desperately wanted to take care of her.

Haley closed her eyes when she felt Nathan's hand come to rest on her back. He circled his fingers over her skin gently and she hummed to herself, glad to be distracted from the nauseous feeling which had been claiming her every thought ever since she had woken up abruptly with the feeling that she was going to be sick.

"Have you been sick?" Nathan asked softly, lowering his mouth down to her shoulder blade and placing a light kiss on her skin.

Haley sighed heavily, because this was the most frustrating part of all. "No, I just constantly feel like I'm going to, and then nothing happens. But I don't want to leave the bathroom because the moment I do I feel like I'm going to vomit again and I end up crawling back in here anyway."

"I'm sorry, baby." Nathan muttered, wishing that there was more he could do to make her feel better.

Haley turned her head and lifted one of her arms up so that she could trace his jaw with her fingers. "It's not your fault I'm ill, Nathan."

"I know but I'd much rather it was me that was feeling this way and not you." Nathan returned.

Haley smiled at him for a brief moment, and she was about to tell him that she loved him but she had to quickly turn her head back towards the toilet because she felt her stomach begin to stir again.

~*~

"I don't need a doctor, Nathan." Haley responded in a tight voice as she lifted herself up from her position on the bed.

Nathan ran an exasperated hand through his hair as his eyes rested on her form. "For God's sake, Hales, you've spent the better part of twenty-four hours hugging the damn toilet seat. I really think you should see someone, they'd be able to give you something which would help you feel better."

Haley scowled at him. Why was he making such a big deal out of this? He was really starting to aggravate her to the point where she couldn't control her temper any longer. "I already know what's wrong, Nathan, I caught something off that man on the plane. I already told you, so just leave it alone!" All this shouting was doing no good for her stomach and once again she felt like she was going to heave so she jumped off the bed and ran towards the bathroom.

Nathan shook his head as he followed her retreating form through the bedroom and into the bathroom. "Look at you, Hales, you're not well. Why are you so damn insistent about not seeing a doctor?"

"Because I don't want to waste their time, Nathan. I'm sure they've got better things to do that to come out here and tell me that I've just got a stupid stomach bug." Haley responded.

"It's a bit of an odd stomach bug though, isn't it Hales, when you're not actually being sick." Nathan said, having to grit his teeth together in order to stop himself from shouting at her. "I just want you to feel better for Christ's sake."

"Well I can most certainly tell you, Nathan, that you shouting at me isn't making me feel better at all." Haley snapped back at him.

Nathan ran another hand through his hair, hoping that he'd calm himself down. He'd already been out to training and had said to himself that if she was still ill when he returned, that he would call a doctor, but stupidly he had asked her permission first, which is how they had walked into this current disagreement. He watched as she closed her eyes and he stormed out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and into the lounge of the suite and picked up the phone, calling down to reception. Once he got through he asked for them to send a doctor. He didn't care if Haley wanted to see one or not, she was going to.

Having not been sick, again, and after about half an hour of sitting and wallowing in self pity, Haley picked herself up off the floor and dragged herself back into the bedroom. It was starting to really annoy her, this phantom sickness thing; she partly wished that she would just be sick so that there would actually be a point to her feeling like this. Just as she sat herself down on the bed, she heard a knock at the door. She figured that it was just room service for Nathan and so she shuffled herself further back onto the bed and was preparing to snuggle under the covers again, when Nathan walked into the bedroom with a strange man behind him.

Nathan stared at Haley as he walked into the bedroom, the doctor following behind him, with a rather triumphant look on his face. He saw Haley scowl at him and he raised his eyebrow at her, as if he was daring her to create a scene in front of the doctor. He relaxed somewhat when he saw her shoulders slump in defeat and he then turned around to face the doctor. "Here she is. Haley, this is Dr Jones, Dr Jones, this is Haley James."

"Hi Haley, Nathan told me you've not been feeling very well." Dr Jones said as he set his briefcase down on the floor and sat down in one of the chairs which he had dragged from the window to the side of the bed.

Haley couldn't help the fact that she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing; I caught a flight over her yesterday and sat next to some guy who didn't seem that well. I'm sure I've just caught what he had." She said, and glared back at Nathan and folded her arms across her chest.

Nathan shook his head and smiled at her stubbornness but decided it would probably be best if he left the room so that she could concentrate on what the doctor was saying to her rather than diverting all her attention to silently berating him about getting the doctor here in the first place. "I'm just going to be in the lounge, okay?" He said and then turned to walk out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him, relieved that he'd managed to get the doctor in the same room as Haley. Hopefully she'd begin to feel better soon. He sat himself down on the sofa and switched the TV on, scrolling through the channels until he came to ESPN.

Haley couldn't believe that Nathan had called the doctor out here against her will. She continued to glare at him through the closed door but quickly realised that the doctor was asking her questions and so she proceeded to answer them as if she were on autopilot, feeling slightly embarrassed that he'd had to come all the way out here just because she felt a little bit sick. Wasn't Nathan going to slight extremes here?

She told him about the symptoms she'd been having, and at how she felt like she was constantly going to be sick but nothing happened, and she answered the rest of his questions as he took her temperature while silently thinking that she was going to wring Nathan's neck once she got rid of the doctor.

"And are your periods regular?" Dr Jones asked.

"Yes, every four weeks like clockwork." Haley responded as she rolled her eyes. What did her period have to do with her upset stomach?

"And when was the last time you had your period?"

Haley frowned as she tried to remember. What with the tour and then all the mayhem surrounding Nathan and LA, she'd not really been paying close attention to her body. She realised that she couldn't actually remember when she'd last had her period and she felt slightly ridiculous about it, because who couldn't remember something like that. She could always go and look at her contraceptive pill and work backwards as that would tell her but she couldn't be bothered to move at the moment. "I can't actually remember, things have been slightly frantic lately…" She answered him lamely.

"Okay." Dr Jones said with a smile. "Do you mind if I get you to do a pregnancy test?"

Haley's eyes instantly snapped back to meet with the doctor's. "I'm on the pill, so that would be a complete waste of time."

"Humour me." Dr Jones returned and then raised his eyebrow. "It's obvious that you don't want me to be here, so once you take this test, and it comes back negative, seeing as you're so sure it will be, we'll be able to tell Mr Scott that this is just a simple stomach bug." He then grabbed a test out of his briefcase and held it out towards Haley.

Haley huffed and then, purely for the reason that a professional would be able to tell Nathan what she already knew was wrong with her, she snatched the test out of his hand and walked into the bathroom, muttering under her breath about how stupid this all was, because, like she'd said, she was on the pill and so there was absolutely no possibility that she could be pregnant.

Five minutes later, Haley was sat on the edge of the bed tapping her foot on the carpet. She was mentally conjuring up ways she could get Nathan back for this when she was jolted from her reverie by Mr Jones clearing his throat. She turned her head and gazed at him expectedly, waiting for him to confirm that she had, in fact, just got a simple stomach bug.

"Just as I thought." Dr Jones said but before he could talk any further, he was interrupted by Haley.

"Right so shall I get Nathan so that you can confirm the stomach bug to him, and then hopefully he'll calm the hell down?" Haley said as she lifted herself up off the bed and began to walk towards the door.

"Actually, Miss James, you're pregnant."

**AN – So some of you guessed that this was going to happen...!**

**As always, please let me know your thoughts on the chapter by dropping me a review.**

**A teaser, as per usual, for the next chapter will be available to those of you who want it, just let me know if you do by saying so in a review and I'll send it out as soon as I can.**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews for the last chapter!**

**As always some quick words to those of you without accounts so I couldn't respond to your reviews personally – **ann – **so pleased you enjoyed the update and that they sat and talked. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! **Violet – **Aw I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter – you'll see Nathan's reaction to the news in this chapter, hope you like it! **Mazzy – **Glad you liked the update – you'll see Nathan's reaction in this chapter, hope you enjoy it! **Hadley – **Glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you like this one too! **Vera – **So pleased you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this update! **Keri – **You're right, they're going to have to sort a lot of things out! Glad you enjoyed the update and hope you like this chapter. **Lottie190 – **Aw I'm glad you're happy I updated and I hope you like this chapter too! **Yessss – **Aw thank you and I hope you like this chapter! **

**Many thanks to Rebecca and Kristen who read through this before I posted.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Haley halted her movement towards the door immediately as the Doctor spoke those words and the bedroom suddenly became deathly quiet. However, the silence of the room was no match for the noise which was running riot inside her head, confusing and puzzling her, clouding her brain with this haze until she felt so light-headed she was sure she was going to faint. She wasn't sure how much time passed; seconds, minutes, hours possibly. All she knew was that it felt like an absolute eternity. Breathing in and out deeply, she waited patiently for the Doctor to begin laughing but all of a sudden, far too much time had obviously passed for him to actually be joking with his diagnosis. She frowned, still hoping that the laughter would magically appear, although this was actually no laughing matter, far from it in fact. _Pregnant. _She murmured the word under her breath a couple of times, as if trying it on for size, but somehow it didn't sit right with her. It was impossible, she couldn't be pregnant. Either the test was wrong or this Doctor was just a cruel man, clearly lacking in ability to demonstrate good comedic timing.

So, with the frown still planted firmly on her forehead, she slowly turned herself around to face this clearly incompetent Doctor, who she found was looking at her with an incredibly smug smile spread across his cheeks. All Haley could think about doing was wiping that smirk right off his face, and quickly too, as well as screaming at Nathan for having the complete idiocy to find the most inept Doctor to ever grace planet Earth to come and see her, when she'd clearly stated on more than one occasion that she was fine and didn't need one in the first place.

Finding herself completely irritated with the way this Doctor continued to look at her, she took yet another deep breath and decided to take matters into her own hands, literally. She marched over to where he was standing on the opposite side of the room and snatched the pregnancy test out of his hands, glaring at him as she did so because he was still smirking at her. Waves of annoyance rolled over her body, causing her skin to glow a deep shade of red as she brought the test up slightly so that she could see it for herself, and in doing so finally end this ridiculous joke abruptly.

However, when she held the digital test up and glanced down at it, the word 'pregnant' was clearly displayed on the tiny screen. She instantly felt her stomach drop, making a whole new rush of nausea gurgle in her stomach, purely from the shock of it all. _Pregnant. I'm pregnant. _She couldn't speak and found herself completely immobile and paralyzed, barely remembering that she needed to breathe. More time passed and Haley felt like she was trapped in some alternative universe, or a dream. Unsure of how she managed to bring herself back, she refocused her eyes and stared down at the test once again. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible." She said quietly, finally finding her voice while her eyes remained completely trained on the test, refusing to believe what it was telling her. She honestly thought that there had to be a mistake; she was on the pill for crying out loud, she was absolutely, one hundred percent not pregnant.

The doctor chuckled quietly as he watched Haley continue to stare at the pregnancy test like it was some foreign object she'd never laid eyes on before. "Well, I can absolutely assure you that it is possible, and it is happening. You're pregnant, Miss James. Congratulations!" He said as he smiled over at her.

For some completely irrational reason, Haley began to get extremely angry. She lifted her eyes from the pregnancy test which she was convinced was lying to her and glared at the doctor, who was smiling away at her like he didn't have a care in the world. She kept on telling herself that she couldn't be pregnant, who the hell got pregnant when they were on the pill? That was the whole point of taking the damn thing in the first place, to prevent things like this from happening. Her anger swirled with the frustration she felt rush through her veins and she completely lost it. "I want you to leave." She demanded, managing to keep the volume of her voice reasonably low, though it sounded rather dangerous and threatening.

"Okay, I'll be out of your hair in a few ticks. You should make an appointment…"

Haley didn't want to hear about what she should do. She just wanted this idiot out of her sight. "I said leave!" She shouted, and then dropped the pregnancy test down on top of the chest of drawers and stomped over to the door, opening it and marching through it to find Nathan sat on the couch watching the television, which irritated her some more because for some irrational reason, in her head she'd managed to twist this all so that it was in fact his fault.

Nathan lifted his head up once he heard the door open and instantly recognised the anger in Haley's face. The panic surged through his body as thoughts of why she could possibly be so livid rushed through his veins. Had the doctor done something inappropriate? If he had, he would kick his ass right out of the damn window. Jumping off the sofa, he began to walk hastily over to her. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asked as he strode towards her.

Haley watched as she stood by the door, glaring at the doctor who was making quick work of gathering up his bits and pieces and putting them back in the briefcase. As she heard Nathan speak to her, she turned her head and threw her glare onto him, watching as he halted in his movements. "What's wrong?" She said, completely exasperated with this whole mess. "I'll tell you what's wrong, Nathan. Could you have picked a more incompetent asshole to come and check me out? Huh? And don't even get me started on the fact that you didn't even listen to me when I told you I was fine…"

"Haley!" Nathan admonished her as he watched the apparently 'incompetent asshole' of a doctor walk past her into the lounge so that he could leave. "I'm sorry, Dr Jones, she's just a bit cranky…"

Haley scoffed incredulously as she heard Nathan excuse her behaviour. "I'll give you cranky…"

Dr Jones chuckled. "Don't worry Mr Scott, its fine, probably just the hormones. I've heard much worse, believe me. Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Miss James."

Haley rolled her eyes and smiled a fake smile at the stupid doctor, watching him walk out of their hotel room, before Nathan cleared his throat, bringing her attention right back to him.

Nathan was slightly confused at Haley's tone with the doctor. He knew she hadn't wanted to be seen by anybody but that wasn't a cause for her to be so rude to him. "What happened?" He asked, wanting to know what had caused her to react in the way that she had.

Haley sighed as she closed her eyes for a brief second, trying to clear her head, but it was no use. She wouldn't allow this information to sink in until she'd got a second opinion, because, as she kept on telling herself, Dr Stupid had to be wrong. "I need you to take me to the hospital." She said gravely as she opened her eyes, pissed off that she was having to do this when all she wanted to do was lay in bed all day.

Nathan instantly felt the panic overtake every single emotion in his body. The fact that she was asking him to take her to the hospital did not bode well, and horrific thoughts as to what could possibly be wrong with her flooded his mind. "Hales, what's wrong? Why do we need to go to the hospital?" He asked frantically, already walking towards the door of their suite, picking up his mobile from the table as he did so, ready to call an ambulance if it meant it would get her there quicker, despite the fact that this possibly wasn't an emergency, not that he didn't know that though.

Haley sighed incredulously as she looked down at her feet and realised she didn't have any shoes on. She marched herself back into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of flip-flops before walking back out to where Nathan was waiting impatiently for her. She was still rather angry that he'd gone behind her back as he had, and in doing so caused this whole unnecessary commotion. "Because apparently I'm pregnant, which is totally ridiculous because I'm on the pill. I mean where the hell you found such an idiotic doctor I'll never know but for God's sake Nathan, if you're going to insist that I see someone, you could at least ensure that they're qualified, he was clearly a…"

Nathan watched as Haley yakked on and on but he couldn't make out a word she was saying. It was like time had slowed down completely. He watched her mouth move in slow motion as the words 'apparently I'm pregnant' swirled around his brain, her voice sounding hazy and distant. Her mouth was continuing to move but he couldn't make out a word of what she was saying, nothing was registering in his brain because despite knowing he'd heard her, he wasn't one hundred percent sure if he'd heard her right. He shook his head, wanting to clear the fog from his brain, and all of a sudden he heard Haley talking extremely quickly, which wasn't helping him get his head around what he thought he had heard. "Hold up, Haley. What did you just say?" He asked as he stared at her intently, giving her his full concentration.

Haley sighed again in frustration at Nathan, the least he could do was listen to her while she was venting at him. "I was saying that you should have made sure the doctor was a real doctor and not some cowboy…"

"No, Hales." Nathan interrupted her and shook his head. "Before that, before you started going off on one, what did you say?"

"I said, apparently I'm pregnant." Haley repeated and then continued with what she had said before, because if he hadn't been listening to the first part then the chances that he had been listening to the rest of her speech were pretty much slim to none. "But that's not possible because I'm on the pill, so you know, I want us to go to the hospital so that we can get a…"

Nathan couldn't stop the grin which spread extremely wide over his face. He laughed as Haley continued to explain herself but he didn't listen because he was currently too euphoric to even care about what she was saying. He walked towards her and placed his index finger on her lips, pleased when Haley stopped talking. He then lowered his hand and wrapped both of them around her waist, pulling her close to him. "You're pregnant?" He asked again, the smile still spread wide, just wanting to confirm it because it still hadn't settled in his brain yet.

"Yes. I mean, no… I mean… well Dr Jones seems to think that I am but… Nathan!" Haley shrieked as Nathan lifted her up in the air and twirled her around. She clung onto his neck, hearing him laugh as he continued to spin them around and around. And then, as Nathan continued to turn them both, it hit her. She forgot about the anger and her pissed off attitude and allowed the fact that she was possibly carrying a baby, her and Nathan's baby, inside of her. She was silent for a few seconds as she heard Nathan's excited words and she smiled, Nathan's reaction to the news making her realise what really mattered here. She was pregnant. Well she wasn't for sure pregnant but still… she was possibly pregnant. She felt him begin to slow down and once he had stopped spinning, he placed her carefully on the ground, pulling back so that she was now looking in his eyes.

Nathan had never been so excited in his life. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face and he didn't want to either. This had to be the best day he'd ever had in his entire life. He moved one of his hands around to the front of her body and looked down at it, rubbing the palm of his hand across her belly. The fact that Haley had their child inside of her didn't seem real, and he was completely fascinated with the idea of it all. He raised his eyes up and connected his gaze with hers before he moved his head slightly, lowering it towards hers so that his lips were hovering above her own. "I love you." He whispered and then pressed his lips to hers in a soft, tender kiss.

~*~

Haley couldn't help the angst she felt whirling around inside of her stomach as Nathan drove them towards the hospital. She chanced a glance at him every now and then and each time she did she was stunned by the delight she could see so clearly on his features. He hadn't stopped smiling since he'd learned of the news, and of course, for that she was glad, ecstatic even. However, she still wasn't sure that she was actually pregnant and she hoped that if they ultimately found out that she wasn't, that he wouldn't be too upset about it. But she had no way of knowing unless she got a second opinion, and truth be told, she wouldn't actually believe it until they did one of those scans so that she could see this baby she supposedly had inside of her with her own eyes.

Nathan drove to the hospital at a leisurely pace, not rushing to get there because he was looking out of the window of his car, wishing that he could shout out the fabulous news to each and every person they passed on the street. He was going to be a Dad! He honestly didn't believe that he could be happier than he was right now. He reached his hand over and placed it on top of Haley's thigh, giving it a slight squeeze, wanting to share his jubilation with her. He glanced over at her for a brief second and saw her looking at him, and when her eyes met his she giggled at him. "What?" He said, that smile he'd been wearing ever since they'd left the hotel still plastered right over his face.

Haley couldn't help but giggle at him. His mouth had to be hurting him because he hadn't stopped smiling. "Nothing, it's just, I don't know, you look like you've just won the lottery or something!" She responded, placing her hand on top of his which was still situated on her thigh, lacing her fingers through his.

"I feel like I have; only it's a thousand times better than I imagined. I mean, we're going to be parents, Hales; we're going to have a baby! I just can't believe it!" Nathan responded enthusiastically, bringing their joined hands up to his mouth so that he could place a tender kiss on her hand, smiling over at her as he did so.

Haley licked her lips nervously as she removed her eyes from Nathan and looked out of the window, seeing that they were pulling into the hospital. She took a deep breath and turned her head back to face him. "Look, Nathan, please just don't get ahead of yourself. I really think that test may have been wrong, I mean, I've been taking my pill religiously and I just don't want you to get your hopes up only to have them crushed when we find out I'm not pregnant." She said solemnly. She honestly didn't want to give this any more consideration that she already had until she had the confirmation, the second opinion.

Nathan pulled into a parking space and cut off the engine. He brought his hand up and cupped her face with his hand, watching with a smile as Haley closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. God he really did love this woman more than life itself. Running his thumb along her cheek, he leaned in and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips. "Okay, I promise, no more baby talk until we've seen a doctor. But I can just feel that you are pregnant, Hales, something feels different, good different." He said softly, the corners off his mouth picking up when she opened up her eyes and looked at him.

Haley didn't know what to say back to that. What did he mean he could feel it? She sighed because he really was far too excited about something which could turn out to not be real. She glanced down at her lap and then slowly raised her eyes up to Nathan's, which were shining brightly at her.

Nathan moved his hand along her jaw so that his fingers were wrapped around her neck and he pulled her close to him, placing yet another kiss on her lips. "Come on then, let's go and get this whole thing sorted out." With that, he released his hold on her and stepped out of the car. Once he had walked over to the passenger side, he opened the door for Haley and held out his hand so that he could help her get out of the vehicle. With her hand firmly clasped in his, he locked the car and placed the keys in his pocket, walking them both towards the entrance to the hospital, hoping and praying with all his might that she really was pregnant. It was funny, he hadn't realised just how much he wanted a family until it was actually happening to him.

Just before they reached the doors to the hospital, Haley pulled on Nathan's hand, stopping them from walking any further. She waited for him to turn around so that he was looking at her, and she bit down on her lip nervously, before raising her eyes to meet his questioning gaze. "Just remember to be subtle. The last thing we need is the press getting hold of this, especially when we don't even know if I am pregnant, or if I am, how far along I am. I think the last thing both of us need at the moment is the added pressure of them sticking their noses into all of this." She pleaded with him. She obviously could see how excited he was but she wanted to keep it quiet, for the moment at least. She hadn't even had the chance to tell Peyton about it yet.

"Of course, baby. I promise to be discreet." Nathan responded, and then tugged on her hand as he walked them through the hospital doors. The noise that awaited them in reception area was extremely loud, and as Nathan looked around the bustling waiting room he sighed heavily. It looked like they were going to have to wait here for rather a long time before they managed to get seen.

An hour and a half later, Haley watched Nathan pace up and down the small waiting room he'd somehow managed to wangle for them. All his pacing was making her feel incredibly nervous and she'd already run out of the room once to be sick in the toilets. She watched as he huffed and puffed, running his hands continuously through his raven black hair. The waves of frustration were rolling off his body ferociously and it only caused her anxiety levels to rise until they got to a point where she simply couldn't take anymore. "Nathan, please will you sit down and calm down? You're making me feel sick."

Nathan immediately stopped moving and sunk down into a chair next to Haley. "I'm sorry, Hales, it's just, this seems ridiculous, I mean we've been here for an hour and a half already, we've filled in all the forms, I don't understand what's taking so long." He said as he ran his hands down his face. Not having the confirmation about the child he though Haley was carrying was really starting to get to him. He found himself daydreaming about painting a nursery, buying a swing set, teaching his child to ride a bike, going to school for the first time… and then he'd berate himself silently for thinking such things, because Haley was right, until they'd had this pregnancy confirmed, he was only building his hopes up for something that might not eventually happen.

"Well you saw for yourself how busy it was out there when we walked in. We're just going to have to be patient and wait until they come and get us." Haley responded, placing her hands in her lap as she began to play with her fingers, trying to keep her mind occupied. She was trying not to think about the implications of having a baby, because each time she did she was hit with such a mixture of different emotions, and she didn't really know how she felt about possibly being a mom just yet, none of it seemed real, and she was still absolutely convinced, despite seeing that pregnancy test for herself, that she wasn't carrying a baby inside of her.

Nathan jigged his leg, running his hand through his hair once more as he tried very hard to wait patiently as Haley had suggested. However, after three minutes of silence, he'd had enough. Lifting himself up off the chair, he began to walk towards the door. "I bet they've forgotten about us, that must be what's happened. I swear, if they have then someone's going to…"

"For God's sake Nathan, don't you dare make a scene!" Haley interrupted him, huffing slightly herself. She shook her head at him as she watched him continue to walk towards the door, really hoping that he wasn't going to just lose it and announce to the world that she was possibly pregnant. It was quite honestly the last thing she needed right now.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to make a scene, I'm just going to find out what's happening. I'll be back in five." Nathan said as he opened up the door to the private waiting room and stomped towards the reception desk, ready to give hell to whoever was sat behind it. He'd never been in such a ridiculous circus as this.

Rather surprisingly, despite thinking that he would get absolutely nowhere, twenty minutes later, Haley was laying on her back on a bed, with her t-shirt pulled up so that her tummy was exposed. The doctor explained that the liquid she was going to squirt onto her stomach was going to feel cold, but she was unprepared and flinched slightly once the gel made contact with her fairly warm skin. She turned her head away from the monitor which had been pulled towards the bed and glanced up at Nathan, who looked like a child on Christmas Eve, his hand clasping hers tightly. In that precise moment, she felt incredibly nervous, and when she felt the pressure on her stomach, her nerves increased tenfold. She was so confused and filled with anguish, she honestly didn't know what to hope for in that moment.

"Okay… the doctor said as she spread the gel over Haley's stomach, watching the screen intently. All was silent for a few seconds and then she smiled when she found what he was looking for. "There's your baby."

Haley felt Nathan's grip on her hand tighten and she watched the smile flutter over his gorgeous face. She slowly turned around and looked up at the monitor, seeing a peanut sized shape on the screen. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the monitor in complete awe, the entire world completely slipping away from her. "That's our baby?" She muttered quietly, more to herself than anybody else, wondering how something that looked fairly strange and something that she'd never seen before in her life could suddenly engulf her with a love and fierce protectiveness she'd never felt before.

Nathan couldn't stop staring at the screen, it was amazing, absolutely phenomenal to actually see it, a baby, which looked so tiny inside of her body. He tore his eyes away from the monitor to look down at his beautiful girlfriend, who, it had been confirmed, thank god, was carrying their child. He watched as silent tears rolled down her face and he heard her mutter under her breath, a proud smile stretching across his face. He squeezed her hand and leaned down so that he could place a kiss on her forehead. "That's our baby." He whispered, turning his head to look up at the screen once again.

"I can't believe it!" Haley said quietly. "I can't believe we're having a baby!" All the angst and worry left her body, being replaced with a euphoria she hadn't known was possible, and she started to giggle, wrapping her other hand around Nathan's neck so that she could pull his mouth to hers. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nathan responded before pressing his lips to Haley, showing her just how happy he was with the way his mouth moved against hers.

~*~

The euphoria of the news was rather short lived because as soon as they made it back to the hotel room, Haley resumed her now favourite pose of hugging the toilet seat. She closed her eyes as she felt Nathan run his hands softly through her hair, willing the latest bout of nausea to just pass so that she could just get up off the damn bathroom floor.

Nathan didn't know what he should be doing. He hated that she was feeling this way, he hated that carrying their baby was causing her this discomfort, and he wished that he could shoulder some, in fact all of it for her. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well." He muttered as he continued to run his hands through her long hair.

"It's not your fault." Haley responded, taking deep breaths as she felt her stomach begin to settle. It was very welcome after the half an hour she'd spent sat on the tiled floor, however, instead of feeling energized, she felt completely exhausted.

Nathan watched as she yawned and smiled down at her, his hand moving from her head down to the nape of her neck. "Do you want to lie down for a while and see if you can get some sleep?" He asked, knowing that last night had been rather restless for her, and today had contained a rather big surprise. He wasn't shocked at all that she was yawning, even though time was only just creeping into late afternoon.

Haley nodded her head once she was sure that her stomach had settled for longer than a minute, and felt Nathan wrap his arms around her waist so that he could help her off the floor. She smiled up at him once she was standing and allowed him to walk her out of the bathroom towards the bed. She didn't bother taking her clothes off, and neither did Nathan.

Nathan lay down on the bed, propping his head up with pillows and opened up his arms, inviting Haley to lay wrapped up in them. He felt her rest her head on his chest and he folded her up in his arms, his hand moving down towards her stomach, slipping underneath her t-shirt and stroking the silky smooth flesh he found there. He found it completely unbelievable that there was a person growing inside of her, it was completely mind baffling, but the smile was still present on his face. He felt pride, love, complete adoration for Haley, and a rush of utterly unconditional love for the little person inside her belly rush through his entire body. Everything felt right. He had the woman of his dreams wrapped up in his arms and a child on the way. What more could he possibly want?

Haley closed her eyes as she lay in Nathan's arms, the day's events finally catching up with her. However, she was restless, her stomach still whirling uncomfortably and not allowing her to rest undisturbed. Nathan's soothing hand rubbing on her stomach was helping her relax though, and knowing how excited and happy he was about the news was something she was eternally grateful for.

"God there's so much we need to do." Nathan murmured under his breath, shifting his head slightly so that he could place a kiss on the top of her head. "Do you want to find out whether it's a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know, I mean, I guess it would be nice to know but on the other hand it would also be a nice surprise if we didn't know. What do you think?" Haley asked as she rested her hand on the other side of Nathan's chest, running her fingers along the outline of the pocket stitched onto his shirt.

Nathan smiled to himself, wondering whether she was carrying a boy or a girl. "I don't mind either way, it's up to you, Hales." He returned, continuing to rub gentle circles along her tummy. "Maybe we should get a book or something tomorrow so we know what's going on inside of you, like how big the baby is, and when you're going to start showing and all that."

"A book sounds good." Haley returned, opening her eyes and staring at absolutely nothing. She was suddenly hit with how little she knew about babies, and pregnancy, and what she should expect. The fear rolled over her body, causing her to shiver in response. Giving birth hurt, didn't it?

"And then we need to think about a nursery... but then again, if we don't want to know the sex of the baby until it's born, it might make decorating a little bit difficult. I wonder what features it'll have from the both of us? I hope the baby has your smile, I love your smile so much, Hales. And your nose… your eyes too… and your hair." Nathan said excitedly, forming a picture of what he'd want the baby to look like in his head, smiling when he realised that he was imagining a little Haley. God a little mini Haley would quite possibly be the cutest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

Talk of a nursery for the baby only served to remind Haley that they still had yet to sort out their living arrangements. God, their life together was such a mess at the moment, and now that they had to add a baby into the mix, things were bound to get completely chaotic. She clenched her eyes shut and bit down on her lip as the angst worked its way through her entire body. She listened to Nathan continue to talk about what he wanted the baby to look like but all she could think of were the practicalities of having a baby, of how much it would alter their already messy lives. The one question which reverberated through her mind repeatedly was the one she didn't have an answer to, and it was troubling her deeply. What on earth were they going to do about where they lived?

Nathan's hand continued to rub Haley's stomach, the excitement still rushing through his veins. "So when can we tell everybody? I can't wait to tell Lucas and Brooke, and Jake and Peyton, I wonder what their reaction is going to be? I think they'll be rather shocked actually, it's going to be so much fun to see their reactions to the news, especially Brooke, I think she'll flip completely, and probably bag herself a spot as Godmother." He continued.

God, his questions were all over the place. One minute Nathan was talking about a nursery, the next he was talking about what sex it would be, what it would look like, what everyone's reactions would be… Haley felt like she was trapped in a whirlpool and couldn't find a way out. She felt incredibly dizzy as his voice echoed in her mind, mixing in with her own worries about how on Earth they were going to make this thing actually work. Before she could even think about getting excited again, she needed to answer her own questions, but she couldn't. She felt the tears build in her eyes, because how were they going to cope? What were they going to do about this whole living situation?

Nathan couldn't help but think about what it would be like if the baby turned out to be a boy, how he could teach the little guy how to play basketball, how they could bond over his favourite pastime. It was pretty much a certainty that he'd been good with a ball, his own father had been rather decent at playing when he was younger, he'd just not committed to the sport as Nathan had. But then again, if it were a little girl, he could just imagine playing tea party with her, taking all of her cuddly toys out on a picnic to the beach which would be at the end of their house, dressing her up in gowns like the one Belle wore in Beauty and the Beast...

Haley tried once more to stop the tears from falling, she was blinking rapidly in an effort to thwart them but the thoughts wouldn't fade from her mind, sending her into a blind panic. She eventually stopped trying to fight the tears and felt them roll quietly but persistently down her cheek, ending up on Nathan's shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that he wouldn't notice how upset she was getting, but when she felt his wiggling body still underneath her, she knew that he had realised that she was crying.

Nathan lay incredibly still for a beat, feeling the wetness plop onto his chest, creating a damp patch right next to Haley's head on his shirt. He didn't want to believe that she was crying, he wanted to believe that he was just imagining it, but when he felt the wetness of what was unmistakably a tear fall onto his chest, the confusion began to set in, and the dread coursed its way ferociously through his body. Why was she upset? His greatest fear was that she didn't want the baby… and if that were the case, how could he possibly convince her otherwise? Carefully, he lifted himself and Haley up from their laying position so that they were seated on the bed, and then he pried her off his chest and held her at arm's length, his hands on her shoulders. His stomach sank deeply when he saw her cheeks, blotchy and red with fat, unrelenting tears flowing freely down them. "Hales, baby, what's wrong?" He asked cautiously, unsure of whether he wanted to hear the answer to his question or not.

Haley lowered her eyes from Nathan's inquisitive gaze and stared down at the mattress. She knew she needed to voice her fears, her doubts over how this was going to work but she felt really horrible at taking away the excitement of the moment from him. He'd been so unbelievably happy about the news, but the fact of the matter was, that they still had some very important decisions to make. She lifted her gaze from the duvet and stared into his concerned blue eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to control her emotions, though it was no use. "I just… how… what… how are we going to do this Nathan? At the moment, you live in a hotel room and I live in New York… what are we going to do?"

Nathan breathed a slight sigh of relief because at least she wasn't saying that she didn't want to have the baby. But then he considered her question and realised that she was right. He'd been so distracted by the excitement that the previous discussions about their living situation had completely evaded him. In truth, he had forgotten all about them. He wrapped his arms back around her waist and pulled her close to him, resting his forehead against hers. He smiled brightly at her. "Don't worry about that, Hales, we'll sort it all out, I promise."

Haley looked into his eyes and lowered her gaze down to his beautiful smile. "You think so?" She said in a small voice, really wanting to believe that he was right because if they didn't sort this living situation out then she wasn't sure how the hell they were going to raise this baby. It simply wouldn't work with them both living on different sides of the country.

"I know so." Nathan affirmed as he lowered them both back to the mattress, moving one of his hands back around to her stomach once they were settled, Haley's head once again resting on his chest. He couldn't seem to get enough of touching her belly now that he knew a baby, their baby, lay inside of her. He closed his eyes, wishing that there was a magic answer to all of this, but knowing that they still had a lot to discuss. He was also incredibly concerned with Haley's emotions today, she'd literally been all over the place, happy, sad, angry, worried… but then he blocked all of those thoughts of the whats, wheres, whys and hows from his mind and the image of their baby on the monitor came back to him and he smiled. It'd all work out in the end. It had to.

**AN – Please let me know what you thought of the chapter by dropping me a review.**

**I think there's only two, maybe three chapters left of this story!**

**A preview for the next chapter will be available to those of you who want it, just let me know in a review if you do and I'll get it out to you as soon as I've written it.**


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